Statesmen Finish Non-Conference Slate with Win
William Penn University Athletics
by Wade Steinlage
Indianola–The William Penn women’s soccer team continued its recent run of strong play by defeating Simpson 1-0 in non-conference action Tuesday.
WPU (8-5-1), which has not suffered a defeat in its last four games (3-0-1), has now reached the eight-win mark for the first time since 2005. The Statesmen went 4-1 in non-league contests this fall.
The game did not witness any scoring through the first 45 minutes; the scoreless tie remained intact until the 79th minute.
Graciela Belmontes (Sr., Salinas, Calif., Biology) then started the night’s lone scoring play when she sent a shot at the goal. It was deflected away by Simpson’s keeper, but over to Kathy Lopez (Sr., Ottumwa, Iowa, Business Management), who passed it back into the box to Raunice Butler (Jr., Nassau, Bahamas, Physical Education).
Lopez’s pass forced the keeper away from the pipes and into a one-on-one situation with Butler, who used some fancy footwork to get an open look and then buried her delivery for the lead with 11:31 to go.
Riley Ludwig (Jr., Big Bear City, Calif., Psychology) tallied one of her six saves in the waning minutes to preserve the shutout–her fourth of the season and third in the last four outings.
Butler topped WPU with five shots as part of William Penn’s 17-10 edge in attempts. Belmontes added four shots, while Mariah Voight (Jr., La Mesa, Calif., Sociology/Psychology) and Alexandra Benedict (Jr., Tustin, Calif., Sports Management) were good for two shots apiece.
“This was a big win for us after playing four games in nine days,” Head Coach Jaymee Highcock said. “The whole squad worked hard tonight and we did great to find the game-winning goal. One of our goals this season was to win more games than last year and I am glad we achieved it. We have three big home games left and want to finish the regular season as strong as possible.”
Next Up: William Penn returns to Oskaloosa Saturday to host #8 Central Methodist in Heart of America Athletic Conference action at 5 p.m.
