Women's soccer blanked in SAC opener

Box Score Sooner Athletic Conference play got off to a rough start for Wayland Baptist's women's soccer team Tuesday afternoon at Hilliard Field as the Pioneers fell to Mid-America Christian, 6-0.
 
Trying to secure their first on-field victory after benefiting from a recent forfeit by Texas-Permian Basin, Wayland (1-6, 0-1 SAC) went into the match with the opposite record as MACU (6-1, 1-0), and the match played out that very way.
 
The Lady Evangels got their first two goals from one of the SAC's top offensive players, Brittney Stephens, who netted her first ball 15 minutes in and her second 14 minutes after that to give MACU a 2-0 halftime lead.
 
Short-handed Wayland, playing with just four substitutes due mostly to injuries, hung tough until the flood gates opened beginning in the 65^th minute. The Lady Evangels netted their final four goals in the final 25 minutes of the match.
 
"We are still dealing with injuries, we are struggling to produce any offense, and we haven't been very consistent in our play. That combination lends itself to an uphill battle when trying to achieve our goals," Wayland coach Shiloh Posey said.
 
Wayland, seeing action for the first time after a seven-day layoff and playing at home for the first time in more than three weeks, was outshot 16-11 with Megan Attenborough recording five of the Pioneers' shots, three of which were on goal. Valeria Garcia fired three times while Chelsea Beaubouef got off two, including the other on-target shot. Gabrielle Munoz shot once.
 
The game was moved ahead two hours and started at 2 p.m. in an effort to avoid rain showers. Earlier storms left the field wet, and sprinkles during the match kept it damp.
 
The Pioneers stay home to host conference newcomer Central Christian College, Kan., (3-5) at 3 p.m. Saturday, in the second match of a doubleheader with the men who go at 1 p.m. It will be Central Christian's first-ever SAC match.
 
"We will continue to try to build on any positives and correct the issues that we see," Posey said. "We have another chance to get the first win on Saturday against a new SAC team. We will come prepared to give our best effort."