Statesmen Rally to Defeat Red Raiders, Claim First Season-Opening Win in Seven Years

Oskaloosa–The William Penn women’s soccer team scored a pair of late goals to push past non-conference foe Northwestern 2-1 in Saturday’s season opener.

WPU (1-0) held a 10-6 advantage in shots, but trailed 1-0 midway through the second half.

The hosts, who permitted a goal in the 31st minute, finally broke through at the 69:31 mark. Rakiya Morgan-King (Jr., Gloucestershire, England, Kinesiology) intercepted a clearing attempt by the Red Raiders (0-1) and drove a ball over the head of the NWC goalkeeper to even the score.

The sides remained tied entering the waning minutes of the evening. With 3:15 left on the clock, the ball pinballed between several players before landing at the feet of Amerie Osorio (Fr., Las Vegas, Nev., Undecided). The sophomore then dribbled away from the defense and lofted a shot that just snuck in under the crossbar for the eventual game-winner.

Emma Billings (Jr., Salt Lake City, Utah, Psychology), who finished with three saves, and the defense kept the navy and gold ahead until the final horn sounded.

The victory marks the program’s first season-opening win since 2019.

“It feels good to get the season started with a win, especially one where we had to fight back from a deficit,” Head Coach Kaleb Preston said. “It was a somewhat sloppy showing from us, but in the end, we came out with the result due to two brilliant goals. We have plenty to learn from today, but we are ready to grow as a group.”

Next Up: William Penn remains in Oskaloosa next Tuesday to host Briar Cliff in non-conference play at 5:30 p.m.