Statesmen Fall in Season Opener; Minton Debuts as Head Coach

Oskaloosa–The William Penn men’s soccer team opened the 2024 campaign with a narrow 2-1 loss to Indiana Tech in a top-20 non-conference matchup Thursday.

The contest marked the head coaching debut of Joseph Minton, who spent the past three years as an assistant with the program before taking the helm this season.

No. 2 WPU (0-1) outshot Indiana Tech 13-9, but managed just one attempt on frame, while the Warriors (1-0) put three on target.

The navy and gold struck first when Leighton Jameson (Sr., Lisburn, Northern Ireland, Psychology) buried a penalty kick just 8:07 into the match. WPU kept control through much of the opening half, outshooting the Warriors 6-2.

Momentum shifted after the break, however, as Indiana Tech found the equalizer at the 47:59 mark. Following a WPU yellow card, the Warriors converted from just outside the box to move in front for good.

Despite generating seven shots in the second half, the Statesmen could not find an equalizer. Indiana Tech matched that total but also failed to add insurance.

A total of 21 Statesmen saw action, with 10 players recording at least one shot. Jaime Rozalen (Jr., Valencia, Spain, Business Management) led the way with three attempts, while Albert Feixas (So., Santa Coloma de Farners, Spain, Exercise Science) added two.

“I can’t fault them for their effort today,” Head Coach Joseph Minton said. “We just need to keep improving as a team and make sure we’re generating more opportunities.”

“We knew it was going to be a really hard game, and we’re upset with the result,” said Matias Meijide. “We had good chances to score, but if you don’t, your opponents can punish you.”

“We defended well for most of the game, but a couple of moments cost us,” Jameson added. “As a team, we worked hard and everyone is getting along, but now we need to start getting wins.”

Next Up: William Penn takes on Bellevue on the road next Wednesday in a 5 p.m. non-conference contest in Bellevue, Neb.