Statesmen Secure Postseason Berth in 3-0 Shutout of Mustangs
William Penn University Athletics
Cedar Rapids–The William Penn women’s soccer squad extended its campaign into postseason play as it shut out Mount Mercy 3-0 in Heart of America Athletic Conference action Wednesday.
WPU (6-9-1, 4-6-1 Heart) doubled up the Mustangs (7-10, 2-9 Heart) in shots at 14-7. With the win, the Statesmen have qualified for the Heart Postseason Tournament, which begins on November 3 with the play-in round. The navy and gold will be on the road for that game, but its opponent has yet to be determined.
Camila Parra (Sr., Brisbane, Australia, Exercise Science) began the afternoon with a goal at the 13:25 mark; AnnaMarie Urps (So., Wilton, Calif., Physical Education) was credited with the assist.
Then right before intermission, Graciela Belmontes (Sr., Salinas, Calif., Biology) put the navy and gold ahead 2-0 with an unassisted tally in the 44th minute.
Action was even in the second period as neither side could put a goal away until very late. Hannah Baker (So., Adelaide, Australia, Biology) finally capped the day’s scoring on an unassisted goal of her own with just 17 seconds remaining in regulation.
Parra, Urps, and Bre Johnson (Jr., Arvada, Colo., Information Technology) all finished with three shots, while Adriana Borjon (Sr., Willits, Calif., Exercise Science) posted three saves for her third shutout of the fall.
“We played well overall, especially in the second half when Mount Mercy tried to get back into the game,” Head Coach Willie McGowan said. “We took a few of our chances in the first half which was ultimately the difference. Scoring in the end was the reward for the hard work we put in defensively. We will enjoy this and look to send our seniors off with a solid performance on Saturday. We have made the tournament now, so we can relax a little and enjoy Saturday’s game.”
Next Up: William Penn returns home Saturday for its regular season finale as it hosts Missouri Valley in Heart play at 5 p.m. The game will serve as Senior Night.
