FULTON, Mo.- After suffering a loss in their opening match of the 2026 campaign, William Woods men's soccer (1-1) leveraged four second-half goals to take a commanding 5-1 win in their game against Hannibal-LaGrange. Woods conceded an early goal before slamming the door with a spotless second half.
HLGU opened the match with a fast-paced offense and physical defensive presence that took the Owls by surprise. Trojan front man Caio Logo earned the lone tally on the day for the visitors, slicing a shot just over the head of Woods' freshman keeper who was caught too far from his post.
William Woods found their first-half leveler in the 38th minute off a spectacular tandem play by sophomore Carter Jones and freshman Ace Davis. The midfielder from Columbia, Mo., netted his first goal of the season off a spectacular feed from Davis, who earned his first collegiate assist on the goal.
Owls' standout forward Miles Andrews extended the lead just before half on a masterful shot that left the Trojan netminder frozen in-between the wickets. The 15-minute intermission was not enough to slow down the Owls as they pocketed three second-half goals.
The first tally after the break again found the back of the net off the foot of Jones, who rattled home a masterful strike off the feed from Francesco Dibra in the 55th minute. Just four minutes later, Dibra himself would find his first goal of the infant 2026 campaign as Charlie Williams placed a perfect ball in front of the midfielder who hammered home the Owls' fourth goal of the contest.
The Woods found their ender in the 72nd minute from Moritz Schafer. The midfielder from Germany notched the Owls final goal on a feed from Dibra, who had his influence over the offense all night.
Although Woods' offense finally found its stride, the most impressive performance in a white jersey came from Martin Angulo. The freshman keeper conceded the goal early off a mental miscue, then proceeded to tally six saves on his way to his first college victory between the posts.
William Woods returns this weekend with a matchup against Saint Mary of the Woods College. This will be the first meeting between the two programs; kickoff is set for 3 p.m. at the North Campus Athletic Complex in Fulton.
