OKLAHOMA CITY – Coming off one of the most successful seasons in program history, MACU men's soccer head coach Neil Hilton is officially resigning from his post to pursue other coaching opportunities.
"I want to take this opportunity to thank Mid-America Christian for the opportunity to lead this special program, with a very special group of players and coaching staff, said Hilton. "We had an incredible year on-and-off the field and I couldn't be more thankful for this life changing experience. MACU is an extraordinary place with an amazing soccer program and that isn't going to change. A special thank you to Marcus (Moeller), who has been an incredible leader and supported me throughout my three-year journey at MACU."
In his lone season as the head coach of the program, Hilton led the Evangels to their first undefeated season in program history, ending the year with a 17-0-4 (.905) overall record while guiding MACU to its third-straight Sooner Athletic Conference regular season title (8-0-1) and fourth-consecutive SAC Tournament Championship.
Overall, MACU was regarded as the top team in the NAIA, ranked No. 1 in the Top 25 Coaches' Poll for an astonishing eight-straight weeks from Sept. 20-Nov. 8.
In the SAC tourney, MACU pitched a pair of shutout wins in a 4-0 victory over Southwestern Assemblies of God (Texas) on Nov. 3 in the quarterfinal before defeating Southwestern Christian (Okla.) 1-0 in the semifinal round.
In the SAC Championship match, the Evangels gave up the equalizer in the 79th minute before netting the game-winner just 21 seconds later on Kolby Godbolt's strong finish. Jack Price gave MACU some very late insurance, netting a goal with three seconds left to wrap-up the 3-1 final over Science & Arts (Okla.) on Nov. 9.
The Evangels saw their sensational season come to a tough end in the Second Round of the NAIA Tournament on Nov. 18. After battling Bellevue (Neb.) to a 3-3 draw through two overtime periods, the Bruins ended up advancing by a 7-6 result in the postgame penalty kick shootout.
"I am thankful for Neil's leadership over the past year," stated MACU Athletic Director Marcus Moeller. "He led the program with integrity and class. The MACU family wishes him nothing but the best moving forward."
Hilton is wrapping-up a three-year coaching career with the Evangels after previously served as one of the program's assistant coaches for the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Hilton has been a key piece to MACU's rise to prominence after putting together a 19-1-1 record in 2021 while finishing 19-2-2 and advancing to the NAIA Tournament Final Site in 2022.
A national search for the program's next head coach is currently underway. Any interested applicants can reach out to Marcus Moeller at marcus.moeller@macu.edu.
