McPherson, Kansas - Central Christian College of Kansas is pleased to announce the hiring of…
Tigers Going to Nationals in Historic Year
McPherson, KS – Central Christian College of Kansas is excited to announce that for the first time in the history of the College the Men’s and Women’s Soccer Teams are headed to Nationals! The teams will head to Kissimmee Florida and compete over November 16-21, 2020.
When announcing if to the campus community President Favara said,
The entire campus is excited to celebrate the recent announcement that the men and women’s soccer programs have both qualified for the NCCAA National Tournament! This is a remarkable achievement. In our 137 year history this is the first time that both teams have qualified in the same year. I congratulate the coaches and the athletes for their incredible work and dedication.
We are proud to support the NCCAA and its focus on Christian-character development on and off of the field.
The National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) is an organization focused on utilizing athletic competition as an integral component of education, evangelism, and encouragement. It was established in 1968 partnering with Christian high education institutions to provide a league for like-minded students and colleges to compete. Serve, Equip, and Impact are the three tiers of their mission of character development. This is highlighted by one of the aspects that is unique to NCCAA National Tournaments: its incorporation of service opportunities for all of the competitors. To learn more about the NCCAA go to TheNCCAA.org.
Women’s Program
FRONT ROW (L to R)
Kaitlynne Maldonado, DeAnna Belencia, Samatha Carachure, Angela Alvarez, Goldie Bougher, Sandra Soto, Alexa Riddle, Mariah Godinez, Lisette Whiteside
MIDDLE ROW (L to R)
Coach Cole Ouren, Alana Robinson, Alyssa Francis, Clara Munger, Jordan Meier, Rachel Schlagel, Kayla McDonald, Karla Menjivar, Assistant Coach Krystina Stackhouse
BACK ROW (L to R)
Brandalyn Porter, Alyssa Emery, Allison Harper, Sarah Campbell, Emma Bressler
The women’s team is assembled from virtually every point of a compass, Southern California to Virginia and Texas to Minnesota. This unique blend of backgrounds has led to a true family dynamic and established life-long friendships. This has been evident on the field as the team has had to continually overcome injuries with some, unfortunately, being season-ending.
In the midst of adversity and tactical adjustments, the team has continued to respond with a style of soccer that is entertaining; and through this process, they have been able to notch a total of 31 goals on the season!
The team continues to rely on the pace and finishing ability of junior Alexa Riddle (Garden Grove, CA). In three years
Alexa has notched a total of 33 goals and 21 assists! This places her in the top 10 of most goals scored in a career and 2nd in assists.
Throughout the season, Coach Ouren has challenged his team to “get off the boat.” This motto stems from Matthew 14:22-33 and is a challenge that transcends the field of play but into the classroom and heart of the individual. The goal is for the team, not an individual or small group of individuals to experience something “special” together! We believe this can only be done through reliance upon Christ and each other. In doing so, the ability to confidently take a risk and step out of the boat becomes significantly easier. This will be the women’s program fifth trip to the Nationals since 2015. According to the NCCAA power rankings, the women are ranked as the third in the nation!
Men’s Program
FRONT ROW (L to R)
Maximo Paz, Benjamin Barrera, Carlos Arias, Leslie Feh, Felipe Evangelista, Sebastian Herrera, Tanner Rose, Caleb Page, Gage Storm, Kobe Wilson, Robert Duran Jr., Samuel Jaime, Lisandro Gamez
MIDDLE ROW (L to R)
Prince Gnazale, Ayobami Onifade, Hilario Garcia, Drew Schrader, Matthew Bohaty, Manny Tadeo, Christian Samano, Noah Banderas, Trevor Hammer, Tyler Hoxie, Jacob Kirk, Francisco Echandi
BACK ROW (L to R)
Coach Aaron Hoxie, Gabriel Curioso, Longinus Onyechuwku, Edoardo Salmaso, Riccardo Di Viccenco, Matias Nunez, Ismael Karduchi, Conrado Perez, Juan Adrian Lopez, Assistant Coach Matt Malone, Assistant Coach Cole Housh
The men’s soccer program is arguably one of the most talented teams assembled. Despite the pandemic, Coach Hoxie was able to bring in a total of 14 freshmen, 7 of which are from McPherson or Wichita. The men are ranked fifth in the nation according to the NCCAA power rankings!
In spite of a large incoming class, he along with assistant coaches, Matt Malone (CC ’17), and Cole Housh (CC ’19) have been able to create a cohesive team that has the skill and precision to play a possession orientated style with speed. As well as the physicality to play a little more direct. This ability to adjust to the demands of the game has led to a total of 18 goals scored on the season!
The team is led by senior captain, Matias Nunez (Salta, Argentina). “Mati” is a business major and has slowly climbed statistically
in the All-Time records. He is currently tied with the most career assist (24) and is 2 goals shy of taking over the most goals scored in a career with 33 goals and 4 on the season.
Watch Nationals Online
Statistics and streaming will be available through the NCCAA website.
- Women: https://www.thenccaa.org/tournaments/?id=624&path=wsoc
- Men: https://www.thenccaa.org/tournaments/?id=623&path=msoc
Support the Team
Between travel, meals, housing, and COVID mitigation it will cost approximately $25,000 per team. By going to www.ccckfoundation.org, you can help these awesome students make history at Nationals this fall!
ABOUT CENTRAL CHRISTIAN COLLEGE OF KANSAS
Central Christian College of Kansas is a four-year collegiate institution that strives to offer Christ-centered education for the whole person through four core characteristics: heart, soul, mind, and strength. Its history dates back to 1884, and it is located in the friendly town of McPherson, Kansas. Central is a strategically small college that offers over forty areas of residential study and a thriving online program for non-traditional students. To learn more about Central, go to centralchristian.edu/about. For all things Men’s and Women’s Soccer, go to ccctigers.com. To support the teams financially go to www.ccckfoundation.org.