WPU Keeps Yellowjackets Off Board in 3-0 Victory

William Penn University Athletics

by Wade Steinlage

Oskaloosa–The Statesmen men’s soccer team took care of business on both sides of the pitch in shutting out Graceland 3-0 in a Heart of America Athletic Conference victory Wednesday.

WPU (6-4-1, 3-3 Heart) only outshot the Yellowjackets (3-7-1, 1-5 Heart) by a 12-11 tally, but was efficient with its chances in claiming its third shutout of the season.

The hosts put their first mark on the board at the 15:21 mark when Diego Navarro (Fr., Madrid, Spain, Mechanical Engineering) headed in a cross from Akram Hassan (So., Falls Church, Va., Psychology). Navarro now has a squad-high 10 goals, while Hassan’s assist is his second.

Eduardo Bonatto (Fr., Rio Grande, Brazil, Business Management) doubled the advantage later in the first half, scoring an unassisted goal in the 30th minute. He has three scores so far in this campaign.

Joey Messina (So., New London, Wis., Information Technology) then put the game officially out of reach at 49:31, finishing off a string of passes from Amgad Hassan (So., Falls Church, Va., Computer Science) and then Navarro. Messina’s tally is his second; Navarro and Hassan both picked up their first assists of 2017 on the play.

Guillermo Pineda (Fr., Madrid, Spain, Business Management & Communications) led a defense that kept Graceland scoreless for the full 90 minutes. The freshman had three saves Wednesday.

The three-goal margin of victory is the team’s largest of the year.

“This was a professional performance for us; we made the win look very comfortable,” Head Coach Jaymee Highcock said. “We played some very good soccer, especially on the defensive end. Hopefully, this will give us a kick start to get many more positive results in conference play.”

Next Up: William Penn travels to Kansas City, Mo. Saturday to face Avila in Heart action at 3 p.m.