OSKALOOSA — The Statesmen men’s soccer team kicked off the 2024 season with an impressive 6-0 victory over Morningside in non-conference action Wednesday.
#16 WPU (1-0 Heart) outshot the Mustangs 21-7 (14-3 in shots on goal), resulting in six goals as it kept Morningside scoreless. The six goals are the most ever for the program in a season-opening contest.
In the first half, the navy and gold managed eight attempts, while the Mustangs tallied four, three of which were stopped by Kevin Onelius (So., Soderhamn, Sweden, Psychology).
After numerous chances were thwarted by Morningside’s defense, the hosts finally broke through when Miguel Menendez (So., Oveido, Spain, Wellness and Recreation) scored a penalty kick goal with 10 minutes left in the first half.
Menendez then helped the Statesmen extend their advantage early in the second half when he assisted on a score from Ricardo da Silva (Jr., Vitoria, Brazil, Business Management).
Just two minutes later, Connor O’Reilly (Sr., Letterkenny, Ireland, General Accounting) added another goal with a double assist going to Luigi Mongan (Sr., Manchester, England, Business Management) and Conor Keylock (Jr., Johannesburg, South Africa, Sports Management).
Moses Magens (Grad., Elmshorn, Germany, Master’s of Sport Management) then made it 4-0 as he carried the ball for nearly half of the pitch before depositing a shot in the far-post netting.
The team further increased its lead with an own goal off a free kick, while the final tally of the evening came via John-Joe Mullane in the 86th minute.
In control, the Statesmen dug deep into the bench with a total of 26 individuals earning playing time. Twelve players recorded a shot Wednesday as William Penn finished with five different goal-scorers.
O’Reilly headlined the offensive effort with five shots, while Mullane and Magens were next with three each.
“To come out on the first day of the season and win 6-0 was refreshing,” Head Coach Simon Brown said. “We created so many chances, now we want to see that every game and hopefully put them away and score even more goals.”
