Statesmen Take Down Ravens as Highcock Becomes Winningest Coach
Atchison, Kan.–With much laying on the line early on in the league season, the William Penn men’s soccer team netted a huge victory in defeating Heart of America Athletic Conference foe Benedictine 2-1 in double overtime Saturday.
The win for WPU (5-2, 2-0 Heart) not only keeps the navy and gold perfect in Heart play, but also gives Head Coach Jaymee Highcock victory #47 in his Statesmen career, making him the all-time winningest coach in program history. His head coaching record (all at William Penn) currently stands at 45-35-4 (24-22-1 Heart) (.560 winning pct.), including being 29-15-1 since the start of 2017.
In a tightly-contested matchup, both sides had exactly 17 shots and 10 shots on goal. The visitors broke a scoreless tie in the 42nd minute when Luis Amezquita (Sr., Inglewood, Calif., Sociology) took a deflected ball and finished it into the netting. The play began with a long throw-in by Donny Mesina (Inglewood, Calif., Sports Management). Amezquita now has two goals on the year.
The first stanza was dominated by the navy and gold, who held a 10-2 edge in shots. The script was flipped in the second half, however, as the Ravens (4-4-1, 0-2 Heart), who entered the game at #26 in the NAIA, tallied an 11-3 advantage in attempts.
BC then knotted the bout at 1-1 in the 74th minute, and despite chances by both teams, neither could score again in regulation and overtime ensued. It was the first extra-session battle of 2019 for WPU.
No scores were tallied in the first overtime, so the teams were forced into a second 10-minute meeting. This time, with less than four minutes left, the Statesmen pushed forward, countering after an open net was missed by the home team just seconds earlier. Kenedy Deviska (So., Pignon, Haiti, Wellness and Recreation) dribbled into the box and before he could deliver a shot, he was tackled, drawing a foul.
That led to Eduardo Bonatto (Sr., Rio Grande, Brazil, Business Management) stepping up to attempt a penalty kick, which he drilled into the left side of the goal for the game-winner. The goal is his third of the campaign.
Ethan Martinez (Fr., Kansas City, Kan., Business Management) and Bernardo Lima (Sr., Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Exercise Science) topped the offense with three shots apiece.
Austin Munoz (Sr., Harrisville, Utah, Sports Management) had a big night with seven saves between the pipes, while his teammates helped with a couple other ‘team’ stops.
“This was a historic win for our guys,” Head Coach Jaymee Highcock said. “We played some amazing soccer in the first half and I believe we should have been up by more than one goal. Benedictine started very strong in the second half and we did not do a good job controlling the tempo of the game. We eventually got that sorted out and created a few chances towards the end of the game to win in regulation, but unfortunately could not finish.”
“I give great credit to our players for digging deep during the overtimes and finding a way to win,” Highcock added. “This was a huge road win for us and we now head to our local rival Grand View full of belief and confidence that we can get another big victory.”
Next Up: William Penn travels to Des Moines Tuesday to face Grand View in Heart play at 7:30 p.m.
