Graceland Gets Win Over Statesmen
Oskaloosa — Homecoming Saturday kicked off on Drost Field as the women’s soccer team of William Penn University faced Graceland in a conference clash. Another tight contest saw the Statesmen throw all that they had at the Yellowjackets but could only muster one goal. Falling by a final score of 4-1, WPU is now 6-10 overall and 1-8 in Heart of America Athletic Conference play.
The Statesmen and Yellowjackets kicked off with a light rain falling and it was the navy and gold who got the first great chance. Kaitlin Falaney (Fr., Ottawa, Ill., Sports Management) snuck behind the defense on the right side and charged towards goal. Her shot was good but the Graceland keeper was able to come out and make the save. The visitors made a push but the defense held strong, keeping the visitors at bay. Finally getting some possession, Iris Navarro (Fr., Ontario, Calif., Biology) was able to get the next shot for the Statesmen, but the goalie for Graceland made the saved.
Unfortunately, bad set piece defense struck again for the Statesmen as a Graceland corner kick produced a goal. Down one with 14 minutes to go in the first half, the Statesmen tried to feed Falaney again. Once more she was able to blast past the last defender but this time she pushed her shot just wide. A couple of subs could not provide a spark and the home side went into the halftime break down 1-0.
The second half saw Graceland attack early. 11 minutes in and the score became 2-0 and the Statesmen did not get a shot until Shaytel Nieto (Sr., Kansas City, Kan., Biology) got one away 15 minutes into the second frame. Soon after, Falaney was denied again by the Graceland goalie, as the freshman could not find a way to beat her.
With 20 minutes to go, Vanessa Hamilton (Sr., Manteca, Calif., Exercise Science), making her third start in a row in net, blocked a shot but the rebound was cashed in by Graceland. Down 3-0, WPU tried everything to get a goal on the board and they were rewarded as the Yellowjackets fouled Falaney in the box. Navarro put the ball into the net for her second penalty kick conversion of the year, making the score 3-1.
The momentum was short lived as the visitors put one more in the back of the net and took the road win by a final of 4-1. Falaney led the team with three shots and Iris Nvarro added two more. Nieto contributed one shot and Hamilton made four saves in the losing effort.
“Tough loss for our ladies today,” said head coach Jaymee Highcock. “We had some great chances to take the lead in the first half but we failed to capitalize on them. We then conceded from a very soft corner and never got back into the game. Our young team is learning a lot this season and we know that the future is very bright. We look forward to giving our all for the last two games of the season.”
Next Up: Senior day and the last home game of the season will be October 26 as the Statesmen host Evangel at 1:00 p.m.
