William Penn Posts Shutout to Begin Campaign
2018 first-team all-conference pick Eduardo Bonatto scored WPU’s first goal Saturday
by Wade Steinlage
Oskaloosa–The Statesmen men’s soccer team proved it is capable of having success, even at less than full strength as it defeated non-conference foe Avila 2-0 in the season opener Saturday.
WPU (1-0) dominated from the initial whistle, outshooting the Eagles (0-1) 25-6. That might not seem incredibly impressive for a squad coming off a school-record 14 wins last year, but it is considering that the navy and gold played with just 10 men for nearly 70 minutes of Saturday’s contest.
After coming up empty in several early opportunities, the hosts finally broke through at the 15:02 mark when Eduardo Bonatto (Sr., Rio Grande, Brazil, Business Management) slipped in a shot off a centering pass from Shalon Knight (So., Swetes Villages, Antigua and Barbuda).
Unfortunately, the matchup took an ugly turn in the ensuing minutes with a few skirmishes breaking out, highlighted by one that led to Steve Avelar (Sr., Los Angeles, Calif., Sociology) receiving a red card and being sent off for the remainder of the game. He will also be required to sit for William Penn’s next meeting.
The navy and gold made the necessary adjustments and stayed in control, but were certainly affected by the loss of one of their men as they were unable to tally another score by themselves.
The squad’s second and final goal came in the 61st minute when a ball sent into the six-yard box was inadvertently knocked into the netting by an Avila player for an own goal. WPU posted eight corner kicks in the latter half (10 overall), but could not add to its advantage and settled for the two-goal difference.
Six separate Statesmen recorded multiple shot attempts with Kenedy Deviska (So., Pignon, Haiti, Wellness and Recreation) topping the crew with six tries; Bonatto put four of his five tries on goal. Austin Munoz (Sr., Harrisville, Utah, Sports Management) was relatively untested between the pipes Saturday as he managed two saves in the shutout.
“It was important that we started the season with a win today and we achieved that goal,” Head Coach Jaymee Highcock said. “We made the game difficult at times, but we controlled the action from start to finish. We will learn from this game and be ready for a big road game on Tuesday.”
Next Up: William Penn travels to Bourbonnais, Ill. next Tuesday to face #19 Olivet Nazarene in non-conference action at 11 a.m.
