FAYETTE, Mo. - Miles Andrews recorded a goal and an assist for the Owls, but William Woods went from near jubilation to sheer heartbreak in the space of a minute, falling 4-2 to no. 12 Central Methodist.
Central Methodist opened the scoring in the fifth minute, as Hayden Wood nodded home a cross by Matheus Storck at the back post.
The Owls came close to equalizing in the 13th minute on a corner kick, but
Omar Murillo's header was well-saved by CMU's keeper.
Andrews would level the match at 1-1 in the 22nd minute, collecting a pass from
Anthony Lint on a well-timed run through CMU's back line. The freshman deked the Eagles' Morris Van Tuinen and slotted the ball into the side netting.
Woods had chances to take the lead in the 25th minute and again in the 28th. WWU earned a free kick just outside the right side of the penalty area, but CMU's wall was able to time its jump on the service and clear the ball. In the 28th minute, Andrews out jumped his marker on a throw-in but his header glanced off the crossbar.
The Owls had the better part of the possession over the next several minutes, but CMU was able to take a 2-1 lead into halftime after earning a free kick in the 37th minute. Storck sent a searching ball into the box and Adrian Stokke was able to get an outstretched foot through a crowd to knock the ball past
Wil Rieves.
CMU was able to stretch its lead to 3-1 on a quick counterattack in the 52nd minute, as Basil Erne sent a long ball over the midfield to Koen Schimmel, who found the far post.
William Woods put together a nifty combination in the 70th minute to close the gap to 3-2, as Andrews battled to recover a loose ball in midfield and turned on his defender. A quick give-and-go put Andrews in on the end line at the left corner of the penalty area. He dribbled past two CMU defenders then threaded an inch-perfect pass through a crowd of three collapsing Eagles to the foot of
Florian Senst, who slammed it home.
The Owls had a chance to tie the match at 3-3 in the 83rd minute, as they earned a free kick just inside the halfway line on the left side. The long, driven service fell into a crowd of bodies, but Van Tuinen was able to corral the loose ball and spark a counterattack for the Eagles. CMU capitalized with a couple of quick passes, stretching the lead back to two and held on for the win.
William Woods returns to Firley Field on Thursday afternoon, hosting defending national champion Bethel University. Kickoff for the match against the Pilots is set for 4:30 p.m.
