MARSHALL, Mo.— Woods men's soccer (3-3, 1-2 Heart) took the fairly short trek to Missouri Valley University (3-1-1, 2-0 Heart) for a Heart of America Athletic Conference matchup under the lights. The Vikings scored the deciding goal just two minutes into the contest, before tacking on two more in the final minutes to preserve the 3-0 conference win.
Fans were still finding their seats at Gregg-Mitchell Field when the Vikings found their first goal of the contest. MVU striker Shosei Watanabe, a junior from Tokyo, Japan, lofted a shot over the Owls keeper to establish the early 1-0 lead.
Both sides fired off six shots in the remaining 43 minutes of the first half of play, but neither side were able to fool the man between the posts. Each keeper turned away two shots in the half, keeping the game at a one-goal advantage for the Vikings.
In the second half both defenses held firm, playing well out of the back line on transition pieces. Despite this effort, neither team was able to gain the offensive footing needed to change the score until the 76th minute. MVU scored in a one-on-one with the keeper, scorching one past the lone man to beat.
The Vikings found their third goal of the contest on a set piece from the corner that ricocheted off an MVU midfielder inside the box and past the Owls keeper. The Viking back line held firm, denying any chances for an Owls advance and cementing a 3-0 win for Missouri Valley.
Three Owls were credited with shots on goal, Miles Andrews (3), Ace Davis (1) and Iddi Ramadhani each tested the goaltender but were turned away.
Woods returns to the pitch on Wednesday at Park University, before hosting Graceland on Sunday afternoon to close out William Woods University homecoming weekend.
