Statesmen End Season with a Clean Sheet Victory

Oskaloosa--The William Penn women's soccer team closed out its season on a high note, shutting out Grand View 1-0 in Heart of America Athletic Conference play Saturday.

The Statesmen (3-13-1, 2-11 Heart) controlled much of the match, outshooting the Vikings (1-8-5, 1-8-3) by a 12-4 margin, including a 7-2 edge in shots on goal.

Both sides battled through a scoreless first half, with William Penn holding a slight 6-4 advantage in attempts.

After halftime, the navy and gold tightened their defensive lines, completely denying Grand View a single shot in the second frame, while maintaining their offensive pressure.

The breakthrough finally came when Lilly Cote (Sr., Sioux City, Iowa, Psychology) connected with India Foger (Sr., Las Vegas, Nev., Psychology), who buried the decisive goal to give the Statesmen the lead.

Cote and Sian Bah (Sr., London, England, Political Science) led the squad with three shots apiece, while Anna Sporman (Sr., Flint, Mich., Sociology) added two of her own in the winning effort.

"I just saw the ball and knew I had to go for it," said Foger about her decisive goal. 

Reflecting on senior night, she added, "It's bittersweet. The season went by so fast. I love this team—even though we didn't have the best record, we stuck together."

"The win felt really good. We were on the front foot most of the match," said Head Coach Kaleb Preston. "At a certain stage, I thought, Is the ball ever going to find the back of the net? Finally, India stepped up huge—it was exactly what we needed.

He added, "It might look like we're stagnant from my first year to the second, but we've improved so many of the small things. I'm excited for next year."