William Penn Shuts Out Hannibal-LaGrange for Season’s First Victory

Oskaloosa--The William Penn women's soccer team notched its first win of the 2025 campaign, defeating Hannibal-LaGrange 2-0 in non-conference action Monday.

The Statesmen (1-0-1) dictated play throughout the evening, outshooting the Trojans (0-2) by a 13-5 margin. WPU placed seven of those attempts on frame, while H-LG managed just two.

Despite generating seven scoring opportunities in the first half, William Penn went into halftime scoreless. 

The pressure continued into the second half, and the breakthrough finally came in the 72nd minute. Off a pass from Sian Bah (Sr., London, England, Political Science), Lilly Cote (So., Sioux City, Iowa, Psychology) slipped through the Trojan back line to deliver the Statesmen's first goal of the season.

Cote struck again ten minutes later, capitalizing on a Hannibal-LaGrange turnover and slotting home her second tally at the 82:01 mark.

Goalkeeper Emma Billings (So., Salt Lake City, Utah, Psychology) recorded two saves to secure her second shutout in as many outings.

Cote paced the attack with four shots, including three on goal. Bah, Nemesis Leon (Fr., Puntarenas, Costa Rica, Business Management), and Elycia Cooley (Sr., Galveston, Texas, Biology) each added two attempts.

"Tonight was a battle. The team is really having to step up and find their roles early on," Head Coach Kaleb Preston said. "It was a matter of time before we found the back of the net, and I can't say enough about how solid we've looked defensively through the first few matches of the season. More to come."

Next Up: William Penn hits the road Wednesday to face Northwestern in Orange City, Iowa, at 5:00 p.m.