William Penn Drops 1-0 Matchup with #6 Pioneers

William Penn University Athletics

by Wade Steinlage

Oskaloosa–The Statesmen men’s soccer team put the #6 program in the nation on its heels, but failed to tally the equalizer in a 1-0 Heart of America Athletic Conference setback to MidAmerica Nazarene Saturday.

WPU (5-4-1, 2-3 Heart) kept the visitors off the board for nearly the entire first half, but the Pioneers recorded the contest’s lone goal with just 15 seconds until the break.

Outshot 14-6 overall, the hosts turned the tables with a 4-3 edge in the second stanza, but every opportunity was thwarted by MNU. Diego Navarro (Fr., Madrid, Spain, Mechanical Engineering) recorded three shots with two on goal, while both attempts by Eduardo Bonatto (Fr., Rio Grande, Brazil, Business Management) were also on goal.

Guillermo Pineda (Fr., Madrid, Spain, Business Management & Communications) kept the Statesmen close with four stops.

“Even though this was not the result we wanted, it was a very positive performance,” Head Coach Jaymee Highcock said. “To concede a goal right before halftime was not what we needed and unfortunately we did not recover in the game. However, we pushed for a late equalizer and came so close to getting something at the end. This performance shows that we can compete with the best in the nation.”

Next Up: William Penn remains in Oskaloosa next Wednesday to host Graceland in Heart action at 7:30 p.m.