William Penn Takes Down #5 Missouri Valley in Another Shutout
William Penn University Athletics
by Wade Steinlage
Oskaloosa–One of the NAIA’s stingiest defenses was at it again Wednesday and this time it did damage to the resume of a national powerhouse as the Statesmen men’s soccer team shut out #5 Missouri Valley 1-0 in Heart of America Athletic Conference action.
Now spanning nearly the entire month (starting in the first half on September 1 against Avila), WPU’s shutout streak has stretched to six consecutive games. With Wednesday’s ‘no-no’, the Statesmen (8-1, 3-0 Heart) are tied for the national lead in shutouts with seven.
The Statesmen’s school-record scoreless streak currently stands at 606 minutes and 12 seconds in length. No strangers to monumental victories, Wednesday’s win marks the third year in a row that WPU has defeated a top-10 program, having also beaten then-#5 Baker last fall and then-#7 Columbia in 2016.
The navy and gold, who have won seven contests in a row, exchanged blows early and often with the Vikings (5-2-1, 2-1 Heart) who are coming off an appearance in last year’s national championship game. Both sides produced four shots on goal in the first half, but the only one that crossed the line came in the 18th minute.
Eduardo Bonatto (So., Rio Grande, Brazil, Business Management) sent a corner kick to the far post and Kenedy Deviska (Fr., Haiti, Wellness and Recreation) re-directed the ball (via a header) back in front of the box where Donny Mesina (Jr., Inglewood, Calif., Sports Management) finished it off with another header. The goal is Mesina’s first at William Penn, while Bonatto now has three assists and Deviska has one.
WPU tried to keep the pressure on throughout the remainder of the night, but eventually had to settle in a bit more on the defensive end, being outshot 20-11 at the last buzzer.
As with all streaks, some luck was sprinkled into Wednesday’s recipe as MVC missed a few point-blank tries, including banging a shot off the crossbar in the final minutes. Miguel Barbosa (Jr., Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sport Management) also played his part, of course, tallying six saves for his seven shutout of the campaign.
“This is one of the biggest wins in program history,” Head Coach Jaymee Highcock said. “To beat the #5 team in the nation that went to the national championship game last year is an incredible feeling. The players wanted to play a certain way and they gave everything tonight and truly deserved the win.”
“We stuck to the tactics we discussed; it was great fun to watch,” Highcock added. “This team is not satisfied and will continue to fight for more records and more wins.”
Next Up: William Penn travels to Fayette, Mo. Saturday to face another top-10 Heart program in #8 Central Methodist at 8:30 p.m.
