William Penn Falls Short to Missouri Baptist in 2-1 Battle

St. Louis, Mo.--The William Penn women's soccer team put up a strong fight but came up just short in a 2-1 loss to Missouri Baptist in Heart of America Athletic Conference action Saturday.

The Statesmen (2-12-1, 1-10 Heart) were outshot 20-11 by the Spartans (5-8-3, 5-4-2 Heart), including a 9-5 margin in shots on goal.

Missouri Baptist struck first, breaking through in the 17th minute before doubling its advantage just six minutes later. 

William Penn quickly answered in the 28th minute when Eline Wijdicks (Jr., Bennebroek, Netherlands, New Media) played a well-timed ball to Cristina Velazquez Miranda (Fr., Antequera, Spain, Business Exercise Science), who finished past the Spartan goalkeeper.

Both sides traded chances throughout the remainder of the first half, with MBU holding a narrow 6-4 edge in shots. The defenses tightened after halftime, but the Spartans still managed a 14-7 advantage in second-half attempts.

In goal, Emma Billings (Sr., Salt Lake City, Utah, Business Management) made seven saves to keep the Statesmen within striking distance. 

Offensively, Velazquez Miranda, Alessia Piombo (Sr., Traverse City, Mich., Business Management), and Lilly Cote (Sr., Sioux City, Iowa, Psychology) each tallied two shots.

"We started slow tonight. Going two-nil down meant we had to chase the game," said Head Coach Kaleb Preston. "We responded well but couldn't find the second goal to fight all the way back."

Up Next: The Statesmen return home next Tuesday to host Park at Drost Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. in Heart play.