William Penn Shuts Out Crusaders in Heart Opener

William Penn University Athletics

by Wade Steinlage

Oskaloosa–It took a little longer than anyone had hoped, but the Statesmen men’s soccer team claimed the win in its Heart of America Athletic Conference opener, shutting out Evangel 2-0 Saturday.

Mother Nature decided to play her part, disrupting quite a few games throughout the Midwest, including the one at Drost Field. A light rain fell for much of the game, but a lightning strike at halftime and forced a delay of about 30 minutes.

The navy and gold struck first actually, taking advantage of Joey Messina (So., New London, Wis., Information Technology) being fouled in the box. Diego Navarro (Fr., Madrid, Spain, Mechanical Engineering) was called upon to take the penalty kick and he buried it at the 27:25 mark for his team-leading seventh goal of 2017.

Following the delay, William Penn (4-1-1, 1-0 Heart) continued to hold the 1-0 advantage, eventually doubling it in the 75th minute. Moussa Ndiaye (So., St. Louis, Mo., Business Management) received a pass from Jack Kindell-Brown (Jr., Chelmsford, England, Physical Education) and launched a deep shot that found the back of the netting. It is his first collegiate goal, while Kindell-Brown now has two assists this year.

Caleb Pipes-Goulsbra (Sr., Lincoln, England, Exercise Science) faced a total of six shots (WPU had 18 shots) and recorded one save for his second shutout. Evangel falls to 2-5 on the year (0-1 Heart).

The Statesmen’s 4-1-1 start is their best six-game opening since going 5-1 to begin the 2002 campaign.

“This was a very positive performance in difficult circumstances,” Head Coach Jaymee Highcock said. “Evangel has improved a lot from last season and will perform very well in the Heart. Our guys played some great soccer and Moussa scored a great goal. We head to Grand View in a few days full of confidence and looking to get a good result.”

Next Up: William Penn travels to Des Moines next Tuesday to face Grand View in Heart action at 7:30 p.m.