Statesmen Set Goals Record in Shutout Over Graceland
Oskaloosa–The William Penn men’s soccer team has scored almost at will this fall and Saturday was no different as the Statesmen defeated Graceland 5-0 in Heart of America Athletic Conference action.
#14 WPU (13-3, 8-1 Heart) controlled play throughout, outshooting the Yellowjackets (6-6-2, 3-5-1 Heart) by a 25-8 margin (12-4 on goal). The crew’s five goals give it 54 in 2019, which breaks the single-season goals record, previously set at 51 back in 2006.
No player has played a bigger role in that total than Eduardo Bonatto (Sr., Rio Grande, Brazil, Business Management), who started Saturday’s scoring at the 7:01 mark as he put away a pass from Ethan Martinez (Fr., Kansas City, Kan., Business Management).
Martinez then doubled the advantage in the 17th minute with help from Donny Mesina (Sr., Inglewood, Calif., Sports Management). Bonatto recorded his 15th goal of the campaign a bit later, finishing a pass by Shalon Knight (So., Swetes Village, Antigua and Barbuda, Digital Communication) at the 33:43 juncture. The senior now ranks second on the program’s single-season list in both goals (record is 16) and points (he has 35, record is 39).
Jonathan Riley (Jr., St. Neots, England, Exercise Science) wrapped up the first-half scoring as he linked up with Mesina in the 38th minute to put the navy and gold ahead 4-0 at halftime. It is the junior’s first goal of the year.
WPU, which managed 15 shots in the first 45 minutes, was slowed a bit to 10 attempts after the break and did not add to its lead until the waning minutes. Avelar eventually posted his first goal of 2019 in the 82nd minute. Lukas Koch (Fr., Moers, Germany, Undecided) earned the assist.
The trio of Bonatto, Martinez, and Bernardo Lima (Sr., Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Exercise Science) all produced four shots Saturday.
Austin Munoz (Sr., Harrisville, Utah, Sports Management), with three saves, and Jernya Oscar (Fr., St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda, Business Management), with one stop, combined for the shutout, WPU’s fifth of the year.
“Today’s fantastic performance was full of energy and passion,” Head Coach Jaymee Highcock said. “We played some great attacking soccer. We wanted to make a statement today and make up for the loss to Graceland last season. It was great fun to watch and I am extremely proud of how we performed in front of a big crowd.”
Next Up: William Penn remains in Oskaloosa next Saturday, hosting Evangel in Heart play at 3:30 p.m.
