Early Goal Downs WPU

Lamoni--The Statesmen men's soccer team traveled to Graceland Wednesday night looking to start off league play with a win, but a goal in the first half ended up being too much to overcome as William Penn fell 1-0 in Heart of America Athletic Conference action.

William Penn (3-1, 0-1 Heart) had numerous chances to score with 15 total shots, including eight on goal.

Graceland (4-1-1, 1-0 Heart), which produced just four shots, only had one on frame, but made it count, scoring the game's lone goal at the 41:16 mark in the first half.

The Statesmen owned a slight 4-3 edge in shots prior to halftime, but dominated the second period with an 11-1 advantage. Unfortunately, they could not find the equalizer in dropping their league opener.

Milton Magana (Sr., Los Angeles Calif., Sociology) led WPU with three shots (all on goal), while Matteo Cereda (So., Monza, Italy, Business Management) and Luigi Mongan (So., Manchester, England, Business Management) both managed two attempts.

"The guys are working extremely hard," Head Coach Simon Brown said. "They are giving what they can. As a team, we are creating lots of chances, outshooting teams by large margins, and controlling games. We just need to again find our confidence in front of the goal."

Next up: The Statesmen will be back at home Saturday, hosting Baker in Heart play at 7:30 p.m.