FULTON, Mo. - (RV) William Woods (4-1-2) won its third straight, and Owls forward
David Fink scored in his third successive match, as they beat crosstown opponent Westminster College (0-5) 4-1 Friday at North Campus Athletic Complex.
While the Owls have dominated the all-time series with a 5-0-1 record against the Blue Jays, they dictated Friday's contest to an even greater extent, with their three-goal margin of victory the largest in the matchup's history. Adding to that, all three outfield positional groups got on the scoresheet for WWU, with two midfielders, a forward and a defender finding the back of the net.
First-team All-American Midwest Conference defender
Omar Murillo put Woods up 1-0 in the sixth minute, his third goal of the season, which
Pedro Salmon assisted.
The Owls put nine shots on goal to the Blue Jays' two, and Westminster capitalized on its first shot on goal, as Niklas Olsson found the back of the net in the 11th minute to level it at 1-all.
After outshooting the Blue Jays 6-2 in the first half, Woods' attack livened up more than it already had been, recording nine shots to three for Westminster in the final 45 minutes.
A Jefferson City connection gave William Woods the game-deciding goal, with
Miles Andrews slotting home a
Breck McGrail helper in the 71st minute to put it at 2-1 Owls.
Seven minutes later, Fink won the ball on the goal line and playing back even with the 18 on the left wing before turning provider as
Moritz Schafer netted his shot that blistered into the upper 90 far side, the Dortmund, Germany native's first career goal, making it 3-1 WWU.
Speaking of Germans, Fink capped Woods' scoring and furthered its advantage to 4-1 in the 86th minute, placing
Benjamin Lachaize's cross from the right wing past Westminster's goalkeeper.
Breck McGrail also earned an assist on the scoring play, joining Fink with a co-match-high two points.
Not only did the Owls outperform the Blue Jays offensively, but they also received more corners with 13, 12 more than Westminster.
William Woods goalkeeper
Wil Rieves (2-0-1) remains unbeaten on the year, saving one shot in two save attempts. Although he made four saves, Blue Jays shot-stopper Toby Hughes (0-4) stays winless in 2024.
Playing their third opponent inside the NAIA Coaches' Top 25 this year, the Owls take on Mid-America Christian University (3-1-2) at 3:30 p.m. next Saturday at Dill Soccer Field in Oklahoma City. WWU is 0-1-1 against Top 25 opponents this season, as they are looking for their first win over one.
