William Penn Takes on Central Methodist

Oskaloosa–The Statesmen women’s soccer team held its own versus one of the best squads in the nation in a 2-0 Heart of America Athletic Conference setback to #8 Central Methodist Saturday.

WPU (2-6, 0-3 Heart) was held to just three total shots with none heading to the target. However, the hosts were impressive on the defensive end by limiting CMU (7-1, 4-0 Heart) to only 18 shots (six on goal).

In line with the 18 goals they posted over their last two contests entering Saturday’s bout, the Eagles jumped out on top early against William Penn with a goal in the opening minute.

The navy and gold then clamped down on their visitors, keeping them off the scoreboard for most of the first half, finally allowing the second and final goal in the 40th minute. At halftime, the Statesmen trailed 2-0, but had slowed CMU to only eight attempts.

The second stanza was an even more impressive defensive show for the Statesmen as, despite its 10 shots, CMU failed to add to its advantage.

Sydney Estrada (Sr., Glendora, Calif., Biology) headed the WPU offense with two shots, while Taylor Witthauer (So., Vancouver, Wash., Nursing) added one more Saturday. Defensively, Katja Bierman (So., Alkmaar, The Netherlands, Digital Communication) recorded four saves in the loss.

“This was our best collective defensive effort of the season, especially in the second half,” Head Coach Andy Commins said. “I could not be more proud of the work the ladies put in today and how they played against such a strong opponent. This is definitely a game we can build on. If we play this kind of game moving forward, the wins will start coming.”

Next Up: William Penn remains in Oskaloosa next Tuesday to host Graceland in Heart action at 5 p.m.