WPU Drops Avila to Grab First Heart Win

William Penn University Athletics

Oskaloosa–Courtesy of a pair of second-half goals, the Statesmen men’s soccer team snapped a mini losing streak by getting past Avila 2-0 in Heart of America Athletic Conference play Saturday.

William Penn (4-4-1, 1-2 Heart), which entered the night having lost its past two games, narrowly outshot the winless Eagles (0-7-1, 0-2 Heart) by a 15-14 margin.

The navy and gold dominated play in the first stanza (7-1 in shots), but had nothing to show for it as the teams ventured into their respective locker rooms in a scoreless tie. Fortunately, Nenad Markovic (So., Belgrade, Serbia) broke that up early in the latter period with his squad-leading seventh score of the campaign at the 53:48 mark. Ralph Duopu-Turner (Sr., Monrovia, Liberia, Physical Education) assisted on the game winner.

Just over 14 minutes into the future, Joni Cruz (Sr., Salinas, Calif., Psychology) added an unassisted insurance goal and Emannuel Esparza (So., Posen, Ill., Physical Education (K-12)) managed six saves (all in the second half) for his second shutout of 2016. Cruz’s score is his first of the season.

“It is great to get our first conference win,” Head Coach Jaymee Highcock said. “Every team you play is difficult and fortunately we came away with a positive result tonight. Now we look forward to playing our rivals Grand View on Wednesday.”

Next Up: William Penn remains in Oskaloosa Wednesday to host #14 Grand View in Heart action at 7:30 p.m.