OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - Squaring off against a top-25 team to open its four-game road swing, (RV) William Woods (4-2-2) dominated the bulk of the match against no. 14 Mid-America Christian (5-1-2), but a pair of defensive lapses in the second half offset an 18th minute goal by
David Fink in a 2-1 loss.
"We played outstanding for 80 minutes and then fell short and lost focus in the last 10 and got bit by two poorly defended corners," said head coach
Tommy Nienhaus. "We're not quite where we want to be, but we'll get there."
Woods dominated possession from the opening kickoff, finding a solid chance in the second minute.
Nico Martinez Labra tested MACU's Claudio Fuentealba in the second minute, and nearly unlocked the Evangels defense in the ninth minute with a low cross by
Breck McGrail, but Fuentealba was able to snatch it at the six-yard box.
MACU finally got its first solid look at goal in the 16th minute, as the Evangels found Lucas Catosso open running down the left wing. He cut back toward the center of the field but his shot was right into the chest of
Wil Rieves and easily turned away.
The Owls found the back of the net in the 18th minute with an outstanding build up from their defensive third. After earning a free kick on the right side of midfield,
Omar Murillo played back to Rieves at the top of the box and then to
Pedro Salmon.
Salmon looked upfield with acres of space in front of him then dribbled past three MACU defenders. The sophomore from Santander laid a square pass to
Charlie Williams, who immediately spotted
David Fink on the right flank. Fink collected the pass from Williams, touched into space and blasted a laser to the back post.
The Owls kept control through the halftime break and very nearly broke through for a 2-0 lead in the 64th minute.
Breck McGrail played
Miles Andrews down the left wing, and as Andrews beat his defender to the endline and cut back toward goal, he was shoved off the ball just outside the 18-yard-box. The inswinger from Martinez Labra was headed on goal by Fink, but MACU's Carlos Lobo was fortunate enough to get a foot on the ball and clear it off the post.
MACU leveled the match at 1-1 against the run of play in the 80th minute, as Federico Palacios finished off an Evangels counterattack. Francois Geris-Rey eluded a pair of Woods defenders at the top of the box and played a short pass to an overlapping Nicolas Cervantes. Palacios found a seam in the WWU backline and easily tapped in the pass from Cervantes.
The final 10 minutes saw both teams playing at a frenetic pace. William Woods nearly snatched the lead back in the 87th minute on an acrobatic effort from McGrail, but Fuentealba was able to close the five hole just in time to clear McGrail's header from danger.
Emanuele Grumo put the Evangels in the driver's seat in the 88th minute getting the final touch as a cross from a short corner play just eluded the reach of Rieves trying to punch the ball clear.
Woods battled until the final moments, however, earning a corner kick in the 90th minute. The inswinger from
Alejo Marcaccini was headed out of immediate danger but swiftly played back in by Fink. Salmon tried a side volley in traffic but Fuentealba was able to make the save and smartly fall to ground to take precious seconds off the clock.
The Owls open conference play as they continue their road trip, heading to St. Louis for a 3 p.m. kickoff against Harris-Stowe State University on Saturday, Sept. 28.
