Mustang
SOCCER SATURDAY, AUG. 28
The curtain raises on the 2021 Morningside University soccer season this afternoon. It’s a Heart of America – Great Plains Athletic conference clash with William Penn University visiting the pitch at Elwood Olsen Stadium.
THE SERIES This afternoon marks the first meeting between the two women’s programs since 2015. Mside has won all three previous contests by a combined 9-2 score. On the men’s side, it’s been about as close as it could be. William Penn holds a 2-1-1 advantage. Two of the previous four meetings have gone into extra sessions, and all but a 1-1 double-overtime tie in 2007 have been decided by just one goal, including Mside’s 2-1 win at Oskaloosa last fall.
THE MATCH-UP Head coach Tom Maxon’s men’s program, picked as the 2021 league preseason favorite, seeks its third straight Great Plains Athletic Conference championship and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics’ national tournament berth. The Mustangs narrowly missed advancing to the second round of the national tournament for a second straight year last spring as Mid-America Christian of Oklahoma scored a late regulation goal and then won on penalty kicks. A pair of upperclassmen headline the group. Senior Moritz Lusch is among the program’s top five all-time in career goals, game-winning goals, and assists, leading him to three first-team all-GPAC honors. Junior goalkeeper Bjarne Huth was named the conference’s 2020 Defensive Player of the Year on the defensive side. He sports a solid 1.43 career goals against average with 120 saves and 22 victories in net. Morningside’s women’s team showed a future of promise last season. With only a handful of upperclasswomen, Maxon’s crew went 12-4-1 overall and 9-2-1 in the league. Sophomore forward Sina Feeser headlines the returners. She tallied three goals, four assists, and 10 points during her freshman slate. Anna Ljulijic, a second-year team member, was honorable mention all-conference last fall and looks to guide the offense along with Feeser. The Mustangs’ top defensive returner is junior defender Logan Abernathy, a returning first-team all-loop honoree. William Penn’s men began their season with a rousing 2-0 win over Iowa Wesleyan Aug. 24. Senior midfielder Kennedy Deviska topped the efforts for head coach Simon Brown’s side with seven shot attempts, part of a 30-3 team advantage. Senior net minder Miguel Barbosa pitched the 90-minute shutout in goal. Today’s contest is the season opener for head coach Andy Commins’ women’s team. They were picked for an 11th-place finish on the Heart of America preseason poll. A season-opening three-match home set continues for MorningsideSunday, Sept. 5. They take on the Cardinal Stritch University of Wisconsin in a 12 and 2 p.m. doubleheader.