Statesmen Extend Winning Streak with Victory Over #17 Wildcats

Baldwin City, Kan.–The William Penn men’s soccer team traveled down to Kansas for a huge matchup with the #17 Baker Wildcats on Saturday, and emerged victorious with a 1-0 victory on a late goal by Kenedy Deviska (Sr., Pignon, Haiti, Wellness and Recreation).

The Statesmen, who extended their winning streak to five games, move to 10-6 overall and 6-4 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference.

William Penn got some momentum moving early with a Luke Andrews (Sr., Andover England, Sports Management) header attempt, but the shot sailed wide. Sagar Bhattarai (Sr., Columbus, Ohio, Information Systems) took a corner kick a minute later, but nothing came of the set piece attempt either.

Both offenses struggled to gain their footing, as the contest went nearly 18 minutes without a shot from either side. The Wildcats forced a shot on goal, but it was snuffed out by Harry Nash (Jr., Basingstoke, England, Sports Management). Baker continued the pressure, forcing another save from Nash but not finding the back of the net. The Wildcats outshot the Statesmen 7-3 in the first half, but the two went into the locker room tied at the break.

After the break, the navy and gold started to build some momentum. They started to rattle off shots in bunches, but none of them were on target as they could not force the opposing keeper into action. The defense, however, locked down the Baker offense, as the first shot from the hosts came over 30 minutes into the period.

In the 87th minute, Nash took a free kick and sent it across midfield. After deflecting off a couple heads, Deviska took a quick touch and sent a screamer into the upper right corner, deflecting off the crossbar and in. His seventh goal of the year proved to be decisive as the Statesmen completed the shutout just a few minutes later.

It was a great defensive effort all-around, with Nash heading the defense with three saves.

“We struggled in the first half to deal with Baker’s attack,” said Head Coach Simon Brown. “In the second half we looked more like ourselves and created lots of chances. Baker is always a tough away game so we are glad to come away with a win.”

What’s Next: The Statesmen are back at Drost Field on Wednesday as they have a matchup with the Culver-Stockton Wildcats. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 PM.