OSKALOOSA, Iowa – On a cold and dreary evening, Missouri Baptist Men's Soccer faced off with the No. 1 seeded William Penn Statesmen in the quarterfinals of their first-ever Heart of America Athletic Conference tournament.
The wind, rain, and temperature were factors that both teams had to overcome for a majority of the match. William Penn was the squad to do so first, scoring an early goal in the 19th minute.
A second Statesmen goal in the 39th minute put the home team up big in the first period. Meanwhile, Missouri Baptist struggled to create opportunities for their attack, managing just three shots, only one of which was on goal. The Spartans entered halftime facing the two-score deficit.
While the men were attempting to warm up, Head Coach Roosevelt Peters also figuratively lit a fire under his players. The Spartans flipped a lack of offensive output on its head in the second half, taking nine shots across the period.
Jango Jibo put the first attempt of the half on goal in the 72nd minute, but a team save by William Penn kept MBU off the board. The scoreless result would remain for just a few minutes more, as Eroy Gonsalves was finally able to find the back of the net for Missouri Baptist off a pass from Noham Hamidi. The score cut the Statesman lead to just one.
The Spartans would continue their aggression, with Adel Smajlovic and Gonsalves putting another pair of shots on goal. Unfortunately, no more attempts would make their way part the Statesmen keeper. William Penn, on the other hand, scored a dagger in the 84th minute to all but end Missouri Baptist's season.
When the final horn rang, Missouri Baptist faced defeat by the Statesmen, 3-1.
"Thank you to the seniors, MBU staff, and professors for believing in us," said Peters after the conclusion of his first season at the helm. "Today's game was always a very tough one. The standings don't lie. The moments and special attributes needed to win is what they have. We will be there; the baseline is set."
MBU's first season under coach Peters has officially come to a close. A final record of 9-6-4 and a postseason berth are two major steppingstones for a program that continues to navigate a competitive conference. Needless to say, the program is headed in the right direction, and the future is bright for MBU Men's Soccer.
