FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – The William Peace Men’s soccer team traveled to Fayetteville this afternoon for a battle against Methodist University. The Monarchs, ranked seventh among Division III defenses, would pose problems for the Pacers who were shutout, 2-0.
WPU (3-7-0, 1-5-0 USAS) could only muster four shots the entire game, however, the Pacers did put in a decent defensive effort against the Monarchs high powered attack, which is also ranked in the top ten nationally for most offensive categories.
“Overall, it was a good defensive effort, but we could not get much going offensively,” said head coach Zane Hill. “Despite the result, we were very proud of the boys today. They left it out there on the field, and sometimes the score doesn’t always reflect the hard work put forth.”
The first of two Pacers defensive mishaps came in the 19th minute when Monarch Chris Ryan scored a goal on an assist by Seth Harrison. The second came shortly before halftime in the 41st minute, on an unassisted goal by David Korneliusson.
“The first goal came from a shot outside the box. Our defender lost his mark, and they had an open shot at our goal,” said Zane Hill. “The second goal, we weren’t able to clear the ball out of the box and we were beat individually. They went in uncontested and finished.”
Methodist (7-2-1, 2-2 USAS) had 24 shots for the game and an 8-1 corner kick advantage, but the Pacers did manage to hold the Monarchs scoreless in the second half.
WPU will have almost two weeks to prepare and find ways to score more points before their next conference match. They will host the Pride of Greensboro College on Oct. 15 at 4:30 p.m.
“We are still looking for that attacking piece to start meshing with the players,” explained Hill. “Over time and with practice, we will start find the back of the net.”
