WPU Matches Missouri Valley 1-1 in Battle of Teams Tied for Second in Heart

Oskaloosa–The Statesmen men’s soccer team was stymied for much of Tuesday evening, but produced a late goal to come away with a 1-1 tie against Missouri Valley in Heart of America Athletic Conference action.

With the result, No. 11 William Penn (7-0-6, 5-0-4 Heart) broke its single-season record for ties with six, but also set a new standard for the best start in a campaign. Snapping the old record from 2024, WPU has now not been defeated through 13 contests.

It did not appear that would be the case early on Tuesday as MVU (7-3-2, 6-2-1 Heart) scored in the 20th minute.

The 1-0 margin continued until the final 20 minutes of play. At that juncture, Angel Valdez (Jr., Mexicali, Mexico, Nursing) teed up a corner kick. The ball was sent to the far side of the box where Jedin Lee (Jr., Durban, South Africa, Sports Management) headed it back into the middle where it was deflected by Will Couch (Sr., Burnley, England, Sports Management).

The ball eventually fell to the feet of Rob Stoop (Jr., Bosch en Duin, Netherlands, Exercise Science) who finished it off to knot the score at 1-1.

Just 29 seconds later, the Vikings were issued a red card, putting them down a man for the remainder of the night. Unfortunately, the Statesmen, who managed a 12-8 edge in shots (6-1 in the second half), could not take advantage and had to settle for the draw.

Sil Milder (Fr., Arnhem, Netherlands, Sports Management) kept his team in the game early before the late heroics, finishing with four saves.

The tie leaves the programs tied for second place in the league, trailing only MidAmerica Nazarene in the standings.

Next Up: William Penn travels to Canton, Mo. Friday to face Culver-Stockton in Heart play at 6:30 p.m.