Statesmen Take Down Grand View on Senior Night

Oskaloosa – The William Penn men’s soccer team avoided a scare on Halloween night against Grand View, putting up a goal in each half to blank the Vikings 2-0. With the win, WPU improves to 8-4 in Heart of America Athletic Conference play and 8-6 overall, which has secured them a fourth-place finish in the conference.

While the past two meetings with GV had been filled with drama, twists, and turns, this game was a bit more straight forward between the two teams. With a heavy wind on Drost Field, it was Grand View that got the better start, as they dictated the pace early, earning the first few corner kicks and shots of the match. Korby Ring (So., Independence, Mo., Political Science) and William Thyer (Jr., Bridgend, Wales, Sports Management) were active and effective in keeping the Vikings from further chances.

Eventually, the match reached an equilibrium and the navy and gold got their attack going. Donaciano Mesina (Sr., Inglewood, Calif., Sports Management) finally got a couple crosses into the box but the visitors were up to the task, sending the ball back towards midfield.

The opening tally came in the 20th minute, with a Mesina throw-in getting it started. His ball found Kenedy Deviska (Jr., Pignon, Haiti, Wellness & Recreation) who took a shot. It was blocked right back to him and he then sent a left-footed cross into the box. It too was sent back to him, so he took control, dribbled into the penalty area, and fired a shot that beat the keeper into the far side netting. His seventh goal of the year gave the Statesmen a 1-0 advantage.

GV almost got it back a minute later as Ring picked up a yellow card on a foul just outside of the box. The Vikings fired a great shot towards goal but Rafael Martins (Jr., Boca Raton, Fla.) made the diving save to his right, as he protected the bottom left corner of the net.

WPU played much better as the half went along, making good tackles and getting their attackers involved, but there would not be another goal found between the sides in the first 45. Grand View held an 8-5 shot edge (3-2 shots on goal) and a 3-2 edge in corner kicks. The teams adjourned for the break with the game still in the balance.

William Penn almost doubled their lead straight out of the break as Mesina let loose a great shot from a free kick just two minutes in, but it missed the top left corner of the net. Grand View then got their game rolling, as they pressed the Statesmen once more. A good counter attack saw a GV attacker cut across the top of the box and lance in a shot, but Martins was again up to the task with a quality save.

Deviska made a great play just shy of the hour mark to flick the ball into the path of Victor Hernandez (Sr., Los Angeles, Calif., Exercise Science) who put his shot on target but Felix Schafer made the stop for the Vikings.

With a little bit of momentum, the Statesmen found another good passage of play to earn their second goal of the night. After a cross came back towards midfield, Shalon Knight (Jr., Swetes Village, Antigua & Barbuda, Digital Communication) brought the ball under his spell. He sped between two defenders, angled towards the six-yard box, and blasted his shot to the far post and in for his first goal of the season.

Up 2-0, it was almost 3-0 in the 70th minute as Hevany Motta (Jr., Santo Antao, Cape Verde) found himself alone just above the six-yard box. However, his back was to the goal and his shot was stopped by Schafer. Knight had another shot saved a couple minutes later but the navy and gold were locked in on a win.

Martins had one more big save to make off of a free kick, as he dove up and towards the top right corner of the net to push it over the bar.

Grand View then picked up a red card to go down to 10 men with six minutes to go. After that, the Statesmen ate up the clock to pick up a big win against their rivals 2-0.

Each team finished with 11 shots, with the Statesmen getting seven on target compared to GV’s five. GV retained the corner kick edge 5-4. Deviska, Knight, and Milton Magana (Jr., Los Angeles, Calif.) each had two shots each to lead the team. While not in the stat sheet, it was also a very good night from Luke Andrews (Jr., Andover, England, Sports Management) Mesina, Thyer, and Samuel Marchi (Jr., London, England) on the defensive side. Martins made three saves in the shutout, his third of the season.

“It’s always great to get a win against Grand View”, said Head Coach Simon Brown. “I think everyone has come to expect fireworks in this particular matchup, so while it wasn’t exciting for the fans, it was good to see us stick to the game plan and take our limited chances. We had a goal to finish in the top-four in the Heart, which gives us a home playoff game in the spring to look forward to. But first, we have a massive game against Columbia to finish off the fall season.”

Next Up: The Statesmen will travel to Columbia College to take on the Cougars for the third time ever, as the teams will meet on November 7 at 6:00 p.m. Each team has each won once in the history of the matchup and the non-conference game will conclude the regular season for WPU.