Statesmen Outlast Trinity Christian in 2-1 Victory

Oskaloosa--The No. 2 William Penn men's soccer team controlled the attack throughout but had to settle for a narrow 2-1 victory over Trinity Christian in non-conference play Monday.

The Statesmen (2-1-1) dictated possession and outshot the Trolls (2-1-2) by a commanding 20-5 margin, including a 9-2 edge on target. Despite the advantage, WPU converted only twice, while TCU made the most of its limited chances.

William Penn held the upper hand early with a 7-3 shot advantage in the first half.

The navy and gold struck first in the 18th minute when John-Joe Mullane (Sr., Kent, England, Sports Management) buried a cross from Albert Feixas (So., Santa Coloma de Farners, Spain, Exercise Science).

The Trolls equalized just after halftime at the 47:14 mark, but the Statesmen quickly responded. Santiago Ruiz Haro (Grad., Mexico City, Mexico, Master's of Sports Management) regained the lead in the 58th minute, blasting a strike from outside the box off a Mullane assist.

William Penn continued to press, piling on 13 second-half shots.

Eleven different Statesmen registered attempts, with Mullane, Feixas, and Hector Bastos (Fr., Vitoria, Brazil, Computer Science) leading the way with three apiece. Ruiz Haro, Rob Stoop (So., Bosch en Duin, Netherlands, Exercise Science), and Caleb Wright (Fr., Hitchin, England, Sports Management) each added two.

"For me, having our first win at home and being a part of the scoreboard is really great," said Ruiz Haro, who netted the game-winner. "For the team, every game we have more chances, and everyone knows what their task is. Everyone is clicking outside the field, too. We are going to be an unstoppable team."

"It's nice to get a win at home. Today, we had more clear-cut opportunities. We are still leaving too much meat on the bone, if you will. It could've been more goals, but it's looking positive," said Head Coach Joe Minton. "The Heart is unrelenting, but we are in a good spot. We need to keep fine-tuning and working before Culver-Stockton."

Next Up: The Statesmen open Heart of America Athletic Conference play Saturday at Culver-Stockton, with kickoff set for 2:30 p.m.