Statesmen Split Pair of Games in Tennessee
Memphis, Tenn.–The William Penn men’s lacrosse team fell just short of two statement wins as it battled in the Volunteer State Friday and Saturday.
No. 7 WPU (2-1) opened the week with a 13-12 overtime loss to No. 8 to Webber International on Friday. The team then responded Saturday with a 14-11 victory over Tennessee Wesleyan, a team unofficially ranked 13th in the NAIA.
Webber International 13, WPU 12
Kenny Bohney (Sr., Moorhead, Minn., Exercise Science) guided the navy and gold in the top-10 matchup, scoring seven goals, including two of the first three tallies as the Statesmen jumped out to a 3-0 lead.
WIU answered, though, to narrow WPU’s advantage to 3-2 early in the second quarter. Matt Scott (Fr., Denver, Colo., Sports Management) then gave the lead back to William Penn, while Isaac Heitschmidt (Fr., Oregon City, Ore., Industrial Technology) and Bohney also found the netting to make it 6-5 in favor of the navy and gold at intermission.
Bohney, who finished with a squad-best seven goals, scored twice in the third. Scott and Bohney kept their team on top with early fourth-quarter tallies to make it 10-8. Unfortunately, the Warriors managed three unanswered goals to claim their first lead of the night.
The Statesmen roared back as Everett Breniser (So., Centennial, Colo., Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management) (from Bohney) and Bohney made it 12-11 with 4:30 left in regulation, but Webber International had the last say. The Warriors forced overtime with a goal at the 2:29 mark, and won the contest on a golden goal just 28 seconds into the extra session.
Bohney’s goals were accompanied by three assists, five ground balls, and one caused turnover. Scott added two goals, while Breniser contributed one goal and two assists.
Overall, the Statesmen were outshot 43-41, while winning just 10 of their 28 faceoffs. The team, which went 16-for-19 in clears, stayed in the contest with 14 turnovers (19 against WIU).
“That one stung,” Head Coach Luke Christiansen said after the game. “Ultimately, we did not execute down the stretch and made too many self-inflicted mental mistakes. Our guys gave a great effort.”
WPU 14, Tennessee Wesleyan 11
The navy and gold responded well Saturday afternoon in another tight matchup. The contest witnessed WPU hold a slight edge in shots (49-47), while winning 16 of the 28 faceoffs. The victors overcame 17 turnovers (15 for TWU). Both sides were strong in clears as William Penn was 18-for-22 and Tennessee Wesleyan was 19-for-23.
The trio of Bohney, Scott, and Bryce Campbell (Sr., Meridian, Idaho, Kinesiology) all beat the Bulldog goalkeeper in the opening stanza, but TWU led 4-3 after 15 minutes of play.
WPU’s offense was its best in the second quarter with Bohney producing three times, while the trio of Scott, Max Barr (Jr., West Des Moines, Iowa, Business Management), and Harley Williams (Sr., Edmonton, Alberta, Political Science) also found success for an 8-6 halftime edge.
Breniser and Barr paced the Statesmen in the third quarter, but the Bulldogs tallied four unanswered for a 10-10 tie early in the fourth.
Bohney’s next score was matched by the opposition, but the senior, as well as Scott and Williams, closed out the afternoon with a 3-0 run down the stretch to push their team back into the win column.
Bohney finished with five goals and two assists, while Scott had three tallies and the duo of Barr and Williams both recorded two.
Connor Russell (Sr., Grand Haven, Mich., Applied Computer Science) stopped 18 shots in front of the cage, while Campbell went 13-for-22 in the faceoff circle.
“Games like today on back-to-back days are all about heart,” Christiansen said. “This team has proven they will never give up. I am proud of their effort, and excited to see what they can do once we start to execute at a higher level.”
Next Up: William Penn returns to Oskaloosa next Saturday for its home opener, hosting Indiana Tech in non-conference matchup at 2 p.m.
