SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Southwestern Christian University women's soccer continued its strong start to the 2026 season Monday afternoon, earning a 2-1 road victory over Evangel University at Coryell Field.
The Eagles jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the opening 18 minutes and held on late after Evangel cut the deficit to one in the second half. With the win, SCU improved to 4-0-1 on the season, while Evangel fell to 1-4-0.
SCU wasted little time finding the back of the net. Rachel Slaven opened the scoring just 1:13 into the match, converting a chance off an assist from Abbigail Johnson to give the Eagles an early 1-0 advantage.
Less than 17 minutes later, SCU doubled its lead when Shosona Graham scored her third goal of the season at the 17:23 mark. The Eagles carried their 2-0 advantage into halftime.
Evangel came out of the second half looking to close the gap, but SCU goalkeeper Lorelai Puglisi continued to keep the Crusaders off the scoreboard. Puglisi finished the match with four saves while playing all 90 minutes in goal.
SCU continued to create opportunities throughout the second half. Hadley McLanahan nearly added another goal in the 67th minute when her shot struck the post before another attempt was saved moments later.
Evangel finally broke through in the 75th minute when Makayla Myers scored to make it a 2-1 match.
The Eagles' defense stood firm over the final 15 minutes, limiting Evangel's opportunities and preserving the victory. Puglisi made a key save on another Myers attempt with just over a minute remaining.
SCU finished the afternoon with a 15-6 advantage in shots and put nine shots on goal compared to five for Evangel. The Eagles also received contributions throughout the lineup, with McLanahan recording four shots and three shots on goal, while Alexandrea Villalobos added three shots.
Slaven and Graham each finished with a goal, while Johnson recorded the assist on Slaven's opening goal.
The Eagles return to action looking to continue their unbeaten start to the season after improving to 4-0-1 with Monday's victory.
