Hat Trick for Navarro Sees Statesmen Beat Mustangs
Oskaloosa — It was a back-and-forth night at Drost Field as the William Penn women’s soccer team battled against Mount Mercy. Neither team had won a game in Heart of America Athletic Conference play and they each fought hard to earn that first win. Tied at 2-2 and in the dying moments, Iris Navarro (Fr., Ontario, Calif., Biology) scored to give the Statesmen a big win. The team improves to 6-7 overall and 1-5 in conference play.
Despite a slow buildup, the first 10 minutes saw the navy and gold get rolling on the attack. They generated two corner kicks and Kaitlin Falaney (Fr., Ottawa, Ill., Sports Management), along with Isabella Davies (Fr., Gold Coast, Australia, Biology), got shots away. Mount Mercy generated a couple chances but their defense got caught napping when Isabella Pirami (So., South Jordan, Utah, Exercise Science) sent a perfectly weighted ball towards Navarro. She picked it up and beat the keeper low and to the short-side to put the Statesmen up 1-0.
The Mustangs pushed back as the teams traded chances, with both squads sending balls over the back lines for the forwards to chase. Eventually, seven minutes after WPU scored, Mount Mercy answered. Once again, Vanessa Hamilton (Sr., Manteca, Calif., Exercise Science) was called on to take over in net and she played out the first half without having to make a save. Both teams got looks but could not make anything happen from them and the first 45 minutes of action came to a close. WPU led the shot category at the break 6-3 and the corner kick count by a 5-0 margin.
The second half was quick to develop as both teams scored in the first five minutes. A ball out wide was picked up by Falaney and she rolled it along into the penalty area and Navarro took a good swing and again beat the keeper for her second goal of the match. WPU celebrated but forgot to get back into game mode as a long ball from Mount Mercy was eventually scored just 37 seconds later. Tied again, both teams tried to lock it down on the defensive side.
William Penn would outshoot the Mustangs 17-7 in the second half, though not all of those were close to the net. Navarro and Pirami continued to try to connect on long passes but to no avail while the defense saw some good play from Zoe Ganley (Fr., Honokaa, Hawaii, Wellness and Recreation) and Kathy Niles (So., Pahrump, Nev., Exercise Science). The clock kept winding down with no goals despite chances from both sides and the game seemed destined to go to overtime.
The last two minutes, though, were exhilarating. The Statesmen advanced the ball down the far side and then tried to get a cross in. The ball took a deflection and Navarro, the hero of the day, ran at the ball and shot it at the top line of the 18-yard box and buried the goal to give her team a 3-2 lead. The hat trick gives her five goals on the year and seemed to seal a win for WPU. However, in trying to take some more time off the clock, Hamilton committed an error by picking the ball up, setting it down, then grabbing it again. With just seconds left on the clock, the Mustangs had a free kick at just about the penalty spot, but they shot it over the bar and William Penn took the win.
The team outshot the Mustangs 23-10 for the game and unsurprisingly, Navarro led the team with eight shots, while Pirami had five and Falaney managed four. Adyson Blom (So., Newton, Iowa, Human Services) and Hamilton each let in one goal and Hamilton was credited with two saves.
“Fantastic performances from our ladies this evening,” said head coach Jaymee Highcock. “We played some great soccer and created lots of chances in the game. It was great to see Iris step up and score a hat trick for us.”
Next Up: The Statesmen will play MidAmerica Nazarene Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. at Drost Field.
