WPU Shuts Out Missouri Baptist in Home Opener

Oskaloosa--The William Penn men's lacrosse team had a historic defensive outing Saturday, shutting out Missouri Baptist 15-0 in non-conference play.

WPU (5-3) was able to dominate the battle with a 62-16 advantage in shots over the Spartans (1-1), while also holding a 31-18 advantage in ground balls.

William Penn came out the gate fast as Boston Romero (Jr., Las, Vegas., Nev., Business Management) found the back of the net with an assist from Nate Blasingame (So., Portland, Ore., Business Management). Less than thirty seconds later, Breck Putzier (So., Minneapolis, Minn., Kinesiology) added to the navy and gold total as they led 2-0 just 3:28 into the contest.

Unfortunately, the defenses stiffened and neither side found the netting for over 17 minutes. Seth Read (So., Phoenix, Ariz., Psychology) finally broke the scoreless stretch at the 8:56 mark of the second period (unassisted), while Kenny Bohney (Fr., Moorhead, Minn.) extended the Statesmen lead to 4-0 at halftime.

Putzier jumpstarted William Penn after the break, while Wyatt Christensen (Fr., Madison, Wis., Biology) was next with help from Collin Baliva (Jr., St. Louis., Mechanical Engineering). Just six seconds later, Ryan Swarts (Jr., Boise, Idaho, Industrial Technology) got in on the scoring action as he won the faceoff and beelined straight to the goal. Blasingame finished the third period by scoring off an assist by Jeff Kohl (Fr., Gilbert, Ariz., Business Management).

In the final stanza, Bradley Howell (Fr., Clearfield, Utah, Psychology and Business Management) and Romero were two of six Statesmen to score as WPU ran away with the outing.

The shutout is the first of the year for WPU and the second in program history.  The Statesmen also kept Morningside off the board in a 22-0 triumph back on April 7, 2022.

Romero and Putzier both led William Penn with three goals apiece, while Christensen and Blasingame each contributed two.

William Penn controlled the faceoff circle by winning 12 of its 18 chances, including Swarts going 10-for-15.

Behind a hounding, physical defense, Eric Garigan (Jr., Tucson, Ariz., Political Science) secured the shutout with seven saves.

"So far this season, we have done a great job of making every game meaningful in terms of progress," Head Coach Luke Christiansen said. "Today was the same as we overcame a slow start and put together a great team win."

Next Up: William Penn will travel down to Ottawa, Kan. next Wednesday to face Ottawa in non-conference action at 5 p.m.