Pair of Early Scores Doom William Penn in Opener

Bellevue, Neb.–The Statesmen women’s soccer team fell short in its season opener, dropping a non-conference matchup with the Bellevue Bruins 2-0 Wednesday.

William Penn (0-1) was outshot 17-15 by the Bruins (2-0); additionally, WPU lost the shots on goal battle 8-7.

The game started off with two early saves by Megan Cox (Fr., Las Vegas, Nev., Undecided), as the Statesmen defense looked ready for a long, hard-fought game. The contest took a quick turn for the negative, however, as William Penn was given a yellow card, allowing Bellevue a penalty kick, which the home team converted for a 1-0 lead.

Two minutes later the Bruins were able to score again, making the score 2-0.

The early deficit awoke the navy and gold, as they were able to get a good number of shots on goal before the half, but could not find the back of the net. The visitors continued to play even with BU in the second period, actually holding an 8-7 edge in attempts, but failed to get on the board.

Taylor Witthauer (Jr., Vancouver, Wash., Nursing) led the team with four shots, while Cox recorded six saves in the setback.

“This is one of the few times that you can be ok with a loss,” Head Coach Andy Commins said. “We had over 10 freshmen get their first varsity collegiate experience, and with the exception of a five-minute stretch, we competed very well. We were a bit blown away by the moment at the start, but once that wore off, we settled in and gave them a good fight.”

Next Up: The Statesmen will return to Oskaloosa Saturday for their home opener, hosting Morningside in non-conference play at 1:30 p.m.