ORANGE CITY, Iowa – The Northwestern College men's soccer team (3-1, 0-0 GPAC) dropped their first match of the season in heartbreaking fashion to the William Penn Statesmen (4-1, 0-0 HAAC) 3-2 on Korver Field in their second straight overtime match.
Just like the last time the men's soccer team competed on Korver Field at De Valois Stadium, the match went overtime but this time ending in favor of the opponents from Oskaloosa, Iowa. It also marked the second-straight match that the Raider squad played more than 90 minutes of soccer. The match was moved to Korver Field after the rain in Northwest Iowa a day ago, combined with the two matches played on the pitch at the NWC Soccer Complex, made the field not fit for duty.
Most of the first half was a back-and-forth affair with each team taking chunks of the period in the attacking third of the field. Both teams had quality work but nothing fell most of the half. In the waning moments of the half,
Bailey Baccam (Fr., Hull, Iowa/Western Christian) on the right side of the box delivers a beautiful cross into the box where it connects with
Ryan Wager (Sr., Huron, S.D./James Valley Christian) to allow the Raiders to break the scoreless tie in the 44
th minute. Northwestern would take the 1-0 advantage into the halftime break.
It was immediate in the second half that the Statesmen wanted to net the equalizer. It wouldn't take long for them to find the back of the net with the equalizer in the 48
th minute. About two minutes later, in the 50
th minute, the momentum was firmly in the WPU's favor as they would take the lead.
The Raiders would not be deterred. Battling down a goal until the 69
th minute when
James Bolger (Jr., Boyle, Republic of Ireland/Abbey Community College) finds teammate
Joshua Wingfield (Sr., Bronx, N.Y./Polytech) who delivered a magnificent shot that snuck in just under the cross bar to tie the game at two goals apiece. Both teams picked up the intensity in the remaining 20 minutes, but neither side could net the game-winner.
In overtime, in the 98
th minute, a foul in the box set up a penalty kick opportunity for the Statesman. WPU's Kenedy Deviska would net the game-winning goal – his second of the game - just out of the reach of
Ezekiel Foltz (Jr., Sioux Center, Iowa/Sioux Center) in the upper right-hand corner of the net.
The contest saw both Wager and Wingfield net their first goals of the season for the Raiders attack.
Up Next: The Raiders hit the road again, traveling to Nebraska for the first time this season, as they continue their non-conference slate with a clash against the York College Panthers in York, Neb. on Wednesday, September 8 for a 5:00 p.m. kick.
