WPU’s Season Ends in the National Quarterfinals

Orange Beach, Ala.–The William Penn men’s soccer team’s postseason run came to a close Thursday with a 3–1 loss to Heart rival MidAmerica Nazarene in the NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championship Quarterfinals.

The Statesmen (12-6-4) outshot the Pioneers (16-2-5) 14–9 and matched them with five shots on goal, but MNU capitalized on key moments throughout the match.

MidAmerica Nazarene struck first in the eighth minute and carried a 1–0 lead into halftime.

The opening period ended with a narrow 5–4 shot margin in favor of the Pioneers.

WPU continued to push after the break, holding firm defensively until the 80th minute when MNU doubled its advantage.

The Statesmen responded quickly, earning a penalty in the 82nd minute that [/sports/msoc/2025-26/bios/meijede_matias_lpij]Matias Meijide (Grad., Brunete, Spain, Master’s of Organizational Leadership) converted to pull the match within one.

However, the Pioneers sealed the result with a third goal six minutes later.

Despite holding a 10-4 shot advantage in the second half, the Statesmen were unable to find the net again.

[/sports/msoc/2025-26/bios/rozalen_jaime_8om0]Jaime Rozalen (Jr., Valencia, Spain, Business Management) paced the Statesmen with five shots, while Meijide added three.

“Couldn’t be more proud of the group of players tonight,” said Head Coach Joe Minton. “Thank you to the seniors. We’ll go again next year and hopefully go all the way.”