FULTON, Mo. - Despite a couple of good chances in the first half and a late strike that was waved off after contact in the box, William Woods fell in its women's soccer home opener to Park University by a 2-0 scoreline.
"Losing the home opener is never fun," said Head Coach
Lauren Robb. "I don't believe we played to our potential at all. If we could have played a little faster and in our own style, it could have been a much different game, but we'll work and prepare for the next one."
The match between former AMC rivals was a physical affair from the opening whistle, and the Pirates were able to strike first. After a long ball over the midfield, Patrycia Kozak found the foot of Lilli Porsch, who was able to put a shot past WWU's Belle Boshert in the third minute.
William Woods nearly equalized in the seventh minute, however, off the foot of
Sydney Balducci. The senior from Wentzville, Mo., laced a shot to the upper right corner that nearly eluded the reach of Park's Felicitas Mueller but was parried over the goal for a corner kick.
The Owls had a pair of great chances in the 29th and 30th minutes, as
Sam Blashak found an opening from 20 yards out that went just over the bar and
Lauren Helmert missed to the left.
Boshert kept WWU within striking distance with three saves in the first half, and at the break the Owls trailed by one.
Park would double its lead against the run of play in the 49th minute off of an Owls turnover. Kozak, who appeared to be in an offside position to start the play, collected a pass from a teammate and fought off challenges from two recovering WWU defenders, slotting the ball into the lower right corner.
Megan Hughes tested the range of the Park goalkeeper again in the 57th minute, with her upper-shelf shot corraled by Mueller.
Hannah Loethen in the 71st minute and Balducci in the 75th each had probing efforts that were saved by Mueller, and despite Park's efforts to run out the clock, the Owls had a solid chance to take one back in the 87th minute.
After a foul about 30 yards from goal, Loethen uncorked a rocket that was well out of reach of Park's goalkeeper, but as the shot hit the back of the net, the assistant referee furiously waved his flag. After a consultation in the far corner, the referee awarded a free kick to Park as a result of the jostling in the penalty area during Loethen's shot.
Both teams recorded five shots on goal in the match, with Park whistled for 13 fouls to nine for WWU.
The Owls continue their brief homestand on Wednesday night, hosting Central Methodist in a split-venue doubleheader with volleyball. Kickoff at Firley Field is set for 5 p.m.
