Under first year head coach, Joe Lopez, the MCC men's soccer team looked to continue the storied tradition of Thunder soccer while also rebuilding and establishing themselves as a new program. And that is exactly what the team did this 2022 season. The squad finished with an overall record of 10-9, as the Midwest Christian College Conference regular season champions, MCCC tournament runner-up, third place finish in the NCCAA Southwest region, #10 in the final regular season NCCAA Coaches Poll and #9 in the final NCCAA Power Rating. 

At the regional tournament three players were awarded All-Region awards - freshman mid-fielder Chris Smith, sophomore goalie Hagan Dyer and junior forward Jonny Moon. 

The squad of thirteen knew that if they wanted to have a successful program in the upcoming years, they needed to all be on the same page and know what was expected of each of them. Coach Lopez met with the team early in the season and established that he wanted to be more than just a "workforce" and that he expected and wanted to have a "brotherhood" at MCC. The team talked about what that would look like, and what would set us apart, they made 15 team standards. Those standards were there for every player to reference and to get us back on the same page when the team was tested.

Coach Lopez commented, "Looking at what all we accomplished this past season is impressive. We were the regular season conference champions. We just missed winning the conference tournament, but we were at the final. We were the 3 seed in a very competitive region. And we fought to earn a spot in the top 10 rankings at the end of the season. We could have sat around and made excuses and wasted time wishing we had different teammates from previous years, but our guys did a great job of just going out and competing at every practice and game."

Next year a majority of the team should be returning and with the addition of new talent Coach Lopez will form a squad who knows what it takes to get the job done. The future is bright for Thunder Soccer! 

Postseason continues on for the men's soccer team as the squad prepares for the NCCAA Southwest Regional Tournament. 

This past weekend the team dropped a close match with Faith Baptist Bible College 1-2, to finish as the runner up in the Midwest Christian College Conference Tournament. The squad had a great showing throughout the conference regular season, and ended as the Regular Season champions. Several players were awarded All-Conference Awards: 

First Team: 

Hagan Dyer, SO

Chris Smith, FR

Jonny Moon, JR

Corey Bates, JR

Second Team: 

David Crook, FR

Andrew Davis, SO

Jaydn Hickel, SR

MCC is ready to head into Regionals and fight for their season. The tournament is held at Southwestern Adventist University in Keene, TX. As the #3 seed, MCC will take on the the #2 seed Kansas Christian College at 2:00pm on Thursday, November 3rd. 

Follow the tournament results here: Men's Soccer SW Regional Tournament 

Watch livestream games here: Men's Soccer SW Regional Livestream 

The Thunder men's soccer team as clinched the 2022 Midwest Christian College Conference Regular Season Champion title with a undefeated conference record of 5-0 and overall record of 9-7. What an accomplishment for first year head coach Joe Lopez! MCC was the only undefeated team in conference match up. MCC had two impressive wins over Calvary University and Ozark Christian College winning 5-0 and 8-0 respectively. The Thunder squad also defeated Emmaus Bible College 3-1, Faith Baptist Bible College 2-1 and Barclay College 3-2. 

The team is eager and ready to participate in the Conference Tournament hosted by Calvary University later this week in Kansas City, MO. MCC will take on the #4 seeded Barclay College on Thursday, October 27th at 1:30pm. The match will be live-streamed here: MCCC Soccer Tournament 

Manhattan Christian College Athletics is excited to honor three seniors within the Men's and Women's soccer programs after the soccer games on Tuesday, October 4th. 

Men's soccer will be recognizing one senior this year, Jadyn Hickel. Hickel is a forward from Topeka, KS and is majoring in Bible & Leadership with an emphasis in Youth Ministry and Intercultural Studies. This is Jadyn's second season for the Thunder but he will be graduating in May. He has played in 15 games so far and has scored 15 goals. Coach Lopez says that Jadyn isa always the one to keep the atmosphere of the team light, even in the middle of the game! Jadyn plans to work in youth ministry after graduation. 

Womens soccer is recognizing two seniors - Savannah Farney and Faith Blecha. 

Farney, a senior defender from Park City, KS has been a member of the women's soccer program since 2019. She participated in 2019, 2020 and now in this 2022 season. The program took a break in 2021 to rebuild. Savannah is majoring in Bible and Counseling at MCC. Farney has played in 31 games and has scored 1 goal over her career. Coach Lopez says that Savannah is one that is always leading by example and is always doing whatever is asked of herself and for her team. Farney is undecided on her plans after graduation. 

Faith Blecha, a senior defender from Mulvane, KS participated in the 2020 soccer season and this 2022 season. Faith will be graduating in May with a degree in Bible and Leadership with an emphasis in both Social Justice and Counseling. She has played in 11 games so far. Coach Lopez commented on Faith as being the vocal leader of the team. Faith plans to find a job working in a non-profit organization after graduation. 

Thank you to these seniors who have committed time and effort into each of these programs. MCC athletics appreciates all you have done for the programs!