Statesmen Post Senior Day Shutout
Oskaloosa–The William Penn men’s soccer team received a good battle from Evangel on Senior Day Saturday, but found a way to finish on top as it won 2-0 in Heart of America Athletic Conference action.
Recording their third-straight shutout and sixth of the campaign, the 10th-ranked Statesmen (14-3, 9-1 Heart) moved a step closer to their ultimate goal of qualifying for nationals. The squad tied last year’s record for single-season wins (14) and set a new mark for league wins (9). The victory also locks up the #2 seed for the Heart Tournament which starts in two weeks. Unfortunately, Central Methodist also won, and since it holds the tiebreaker over WPU, it will be the top seed for the tourney.
The navy and gold have not permitted a goal since the first half against MidAmerica Nazarene on October 12, a span of 338 minutes.
It was far from an easy triumph for the senior-laden crew (12 were recognized before the game), although its early play depicted a potential blowout. Eduardo Bonatto (Sr., Rio Grande, Brazil, Business Management) sent a ball forward to Kenedy Deviska (So., Pignon, Haiti, Wellness and Recreation) who side-stepped the final EU defenders and delivered a strike at the 4:47 mark. The goal is Deviska’s ninth of 2019.
Unfortunately, the well went dry for nearly 80 minutes. William Penn and Evangel (2-14, 1-9 Heart) both had chances (26-12 edge in shots for WPU), but neither crew could beat the opposing keepers until the waning moments.
In the 70th minute, Bonatto failed on his first penalty-kick try of the season, but was not denied at the 83:17 mark. He stole the ball from a Crusader player and flipped it back to Deviska who immediately returned it to the senior. Just outside the 18-yard box, Bonatto launched an attempt and it caught the far post netting.
The score is his 16th, which ties the program’s single-season mark, matching Joe Druppel (2004) and Diego Navarro (2017) at the top of the list. Bonatto has now scored in four straight games and has six tallies during that period.
Deviska, with nine shots, and Bonatto, with seven, headlined the Statesmen attack, while Austin Munoz (Sr., Harrisville, Utah, Sports Management) gathered five saves for his third shutout of the year.
“This was a good win for our players,” Head Coach Jaymee Highcock said. “Guaranteeing the #2 seed in the conference tournament is a huge achievement. We started the game alright; it was pleasing to score an early goal. However, we wasted a few opportunities in both halves to score a few more goals.”
“This game was exactly what we needed at this time of the year and puts us in a great position for Missouri Valley,” Highcock added. “We will learn from this and put together a good performance to close out the league season.”
Next Up: William Penn travels to Marshall, Mo. next Wednesday for its regular season finale as it faces Missouri Valley in Heart play at 7:30 p.m.
