Lima Leads WPU Past Mount Mercy
Oskaloosa–Bernardo Lima (Sr., Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Exercise Science) found the back of the net twice to guide the Statesmen men’s soccer team to a 2-1 Heart of America Athletic Conference victory over Mount Mercy Wednesday.
With the win, William Penn (10-3, 5-1 Heart) has now reached the double-digit plateau for the seventh time in school history and third year in a row. It is also the first time the navy and gold have hit the 10-win mark in three consecutive campaigns.
The hosts, who outshot the Mustangs 21-6, permitted the night’s first score as MMU (6-4-2, 3-2-1 Heart) scored in the ninth minute.
Mount Mercy’s lead was short-lived, however, as Lima scored less than one minute later. Donny Mesina (Sr., Inglewood, Calif., Sports Management) hurled a throw-in near the six-yard box where it was headed by Steve Avelar (Sr., Los Angeles, Calif., Sociology) into the direction of Lima. The senior, with his back turned to the goal, did a partial backflip and completed a beautiful bicycle kick that caught the MMU goalkeeper completely flat-footed for the equalizer.
William Penn held a 9-5 advantage in shots at halftime, but remained tied at the break. The Statesmen came out of the locker room a totally different squad and dominated the second-half action, headlined by a 12-1 margin in shot attempts. Finally, on the sixth try of the latter period in the 66th minute, Lima broke the tie with three of his teammates helping.
Joe Minton (Stoke-on-Trent, England, Physical Education) sent a long free kick to Mesina who headed the ball down to the end line. Shalon Knight (So., Swetes Villages, Antigua and Barbuda) tracked the ball down and flicked it in front of the goal where Lima pounded it home. Lima now has nine goals this year.
Austin Munoz (Sr., Harrisville, Utah, Sports Management), who did not record a save Wednesday, enjoyed a relatively quiet night as his field teammates kept the ball out of harm’s way for most of the contest.
Eduardo Bonatto (Sr., Rio Grande, Brazil, Business Management) was one of five Statesmen with multiple shots, topping WPU with five attempts.
“This was a good win against a very good Mount Mercy team,” Head Coach Jaymee Highcock said. “We knew this would be difficult because they have been having a good season. The first half was a very casual performance from us, but we played much better after the break and created lots of chances to win. We will have to put together a full game and be at our best to beat MidAmerica Nazarene on Saturday.”
Next Up: William Penn remains in Oskaloosa Saturday to host MidAmerica Nazarene in Heart play at 3:30 p.m.
