Statesmen Take First Loss of the Year
Indianola — The Statesmen made the drive down to Indianola Wednesday night, riding a two game win streak. The team had beaten Simpson College three of the past four times and had won the past two games. However, WPU could not make it three in a row tonight as the Storm shutout the Statesmen by a final score of 2-0.
The first half started with a chance for William Penn, as Ciara Parrish (Fr., Canoga Park, Calif.) was given a ball into the box to chase, but it was just out of her reach. The midfield players stepped up next and controlled the game for the Statesmen, keeping the possession numbers firmly in favor of WPU and limiting opportunities for Simpson to drive down the field. Isabella Pirami (So., South Jordan, Utah, Exercise Science) was perhaps the best of the trio as she won a number of tackles and made some good passes to the forwards. The navy and gold also had three corner kicks but could not find a goal. Simpson forced starting goalie Riley Ludwig (Sr., Big Bear City, Calif., Psychology) into one save with about 15 minutes to go as they broke through for the first time in the game, but the senior was up to the task. Controlling the first 45, the navy and gold went into the halftime break with a lot of confidence.
However, it was Simpson who came out strong to open the second half and controlled play for the first ten plus minutes. They got a free kick off of a foul and the service into the box resulted in the opening goal of the game as the ball flew past Ludwig. The Statesmen seemed to wake up after conceding the goal and responded with some up tempo play that resulted in a corner kick and a couple of chances. However, the navy and gold could not find a way to get the ball into the back of the net. Things got even harder 12 minutes later when again the team committed a foul within twenty yards of goal. Again, Simpson was able to score as the ball bounced around a crowded box. Down 2-0, Ludwig made a couple great saves as the clock wound down to keep her team in it. Isabella Davies (Fr., Gold Coast, Australia) worked hard on the wings and Vanessa Hamilton (Sr., Manteca, Calif., Exercise Science) was added as an extra attacker, but no quality chances could be produced. In the first loss of the year, the team had eight shots, seven on target, but were outshot by the Storm on the night. The team did win the corner kick battle 6-1. Parrish and Brittney Severson (So., Omaha, Neb.) led the squad with two shots each and Ludwig made six saves.
“Tough loss for our ladies tonight and we showed that soccer is a game of two halves.”, said head coach Jaymee Highcock. “The first half was the best substance of soccer that we have played in my time at William Penn. The second half we let our level drop and got caught out by two set pieces. We failed to match their intensity and did not create enough chances in the attacking third. We need to focus on putting together a whole game. We are looking to bounce back on Saturday at home against Robert Morris.”
Next Up: The Statesmen return home for a match on Saturday against Robert Morris (Ill.) starting at 3:00 p.m.
