William Penn Draws with Friends

Wichita, Kan.–The Statesmen men’s soccer team led early into the contest, but unfortunately after a back-and-forth battle, its non-conference match against Friends ended in a 2-2 tie Sunday.

WPU (4-0-1) tallied a 9-5 edge in shots against the Falcons. William Penn also led in corner kicks 9-1.

The navy and gold scored on an early opportunity after Miguel Menendez (So., Oveido, Spain, Wellness and Recreation) chipped the ball into the back of the net off a long kick from Connor O’Reilly (Sr., Letterkenny, Ireland, General Accounting) at the 2:03 mark.

Despite the early lead, the Statesmen could not extend the advantage in the first half, while the Falcons knotted the score early in the second period.

The contest stayed tied until Hugo Cornish (So., Sydney, Australia, Business Management) sent a ball to O’Reilly in front of the net. O’Reilly finished it off to give the Statesmen the lead at 80:16.

Unfortunately, with only four minutes left, Friends tied the game. Neither side could break the 2-2 tie down the stretch as WPU had to settle for its first draw of the year.

Albert Feixas (Fr., Santa Coloma de Farners, Spain, Exercise Science) led William Penn in shots with three attempts, while Menendez managed two tallies.

“The guys were exhausted after playing Friday night,” Head Coach Simon Brown said. “Unfortunately, Friends was more fresh and played a more defensive style that we could not break down. After scoring early, we were visibly tired all day. Overall, it was a good weekend for us in playing top competition. After four road games, we are excited to get back home.”

Next Up: William Penn travels home to play Olivet Nazarene at Drost Field Thursday in non-conference action at 3 p.m.