Short-Handed Statesmen Draw with Baker

Baldwin City, Kan.--Despite playing a man down for nearly the entire night, the William Penn men's soccer team fought to record a 1-1 tie against Baker in Heart of America Athletic Conference play Saturday.

#14 WPU (5-1-2, 0-0-1 Heart) posted a 12-6 edge in shots (4-3 in shots on goal), but trailed for much of the evening, primarily due to a losing a player in just the fourth minute of action.

Timo Fankhauser (So., Bern, Switzerland, New Media) was sent off the pitch at the 3:39 mark after receiving a red card in the box, leaving the Statesmen with only 10 players for the remainder of the highly-contested matchup.

The Wildcats (4-1-3, 0-0-1 Heart) took advantage, scoring on their penalty kick.

The visitors, although they were at a disadvantage, shockingly were the aggressors throughout the battle, including having nine players posting a shot, while the Wildcats, for the most part, sat back and tried to defend their lead.

Finally, in the 77th minute, the Statesmen found the equalizer. Luigi Mongan (Jr., Manchester, England, Business Management) collected a cross from Conor Keylock (Jr., Johannesburg, South Africa, Sports Management) and fired a shot at the goal.

Mongan's attempt unfortunately hit the crossbar, but the ball came right back to him and he again put a foot on it and his rebounded try found the netting at the 76:34 mark.

Both sides had chances down the stretch, but neither could break the tie.

Mongan had two shots, as did Miguel Menendez (Fr., Oveido, Spain, Wellness and Recreation) and Rhys McAllister (Jr., Belfast, Northern Ireland, Psychology).

Sean Bohan (Jr., Dublin, Ireland, Business Management) guided the defense with two saves.

"This was a crazy game," Head Coach Simon Brown said.  "We went down early and were playing a man down, but we were the more aggressive and successful team on offense all night.  I am so proud of our team's courage tonight in battling through this adversity."

Next Up: William Penn travels to Dubuque next Wednesday to face Clarke in Heart play at 5:30 p.m.