OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – The Wayland Baptist Women's Soccer team showed resilience in its regular-season finale Wednesday evening, overcoming two separate one-goal deficits to earn a 2-2 draw against Mid-America Christian University at Dill Soccer Field. The result secured a third-place finish in the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) standings and home-field advantage for the opening round of the SAC Tournament.
With the draw, the Pioneers conclude the regular season with a 9-5-2 overall record and a 6-2-1 mark in conference play, while Mid-America Christian finishes at 7-8-2 overall and 4-3-2 in SAC action.
The Evangels struck first in the 13th minute when Liv Houlston converted a penalty kick to give MACU an early 1-0 advantage.
Wayland responded with offensive pressure, creating several scoring opportunities throughout the opening half. Camila Zavala nearly equalized in the 25th minute when her shot struck the post, but the Pioneers would not be denied.
Just two minutes later, Erin Carr found the back of the net in the 27th minute for her third goal of the season, bringing the match level at 1-1. Wayland continued applying pressure and entered halftime with a 9-7 advantage in shots, including six shots on goal.
Mid-America Christian regained the lead shortly after halftime when Brae Baker scored in the 48th minute off assists from Rosina Mastro and Korbyn Baker to put the Evangels ahead 2-1.
Once again, the Pioneers answered.
In the 55th minute, Lilly Gansauge delivered the equalizer, scoring her fifth goal of the season to tie the match at 2-2. The goal came just over seven minutes after MACU had taken the lead and demonstrated Wayland's determination to fight back.
The final 35 minutes featured a strong defensive effort from the Pioneers as Mid-America Christian continued pushing for the go-ahead goal. Goalkeeper Maria Tomas came up with several key saves, including stops in the 82nd and 86th minutes, helping preserve the draw.
Zavala led Wayland offensively with four shots, while Gansauge and Talia Gisonni each recorded two shots on goal. Carr and Gansauge accounted for the Pioneers' two goals.
Wayland finished with 13 shots, including eight on goal, while MACU recorded 18 shots with nine on target. The Pioneers held a 5-4 advantage in corner kicks, and Tomas finished the contest with seven saves.
Following the match, Head Coach Alex Castaneda praised his team's determination and emphasized the significance of securing a home postseason contest.
"Proud of the team's fight to come back twice and earn a 2-2 draw against a quality MACU side. Finishing third in the conference and securing a top-four finish means a lot to our program. Earning the opportunity to host a first-round playoff game is something our players have worked extremely hard for, and we're excited to have that opportunity in front of our home crowd," Castaneda said.
The third-place conference finish marks an important accomplishment for the Pioneers, who put together a strong conference campaign that included six SAC victories. Wayland now enters the postseason with an opportunity to build on its regular-season success and compete for a conference championship.
UP NEXT
Wayland Baptist will host the opening round of the Sooner Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Tournament on Tuesday, November 3, at J.V. Hilliard Field in Plainview, Texas.
