Pioneers shine in debut; big weekend awaits

Box Score

With two of the top teams in the country awaiting them, Cristhian Ospina and the Wayland Baptist men's soccer team won't have long to celebrate. But Tuesday night's 4-0 season-opening victory over University of the Southwest certainly is cause for celebration.
 
"It was a good win," Ospina said following his first outing as a head coach. "We have to get better on defense and better in the middle. We still have a lot of things to work on."
 
Sophomore Juan Sanchez scored twice while newcomers Colin Brown and Taval Whittaker each notched goals to lead the Pioneers to the win at Hilliard Field. Renato Dos Anjos, a senior from Brazil, ended with three assists while Whitaker and David Neuberth had one assist apiece.
 
"These (pre-conference) games give us a chance to see all the weaknesses we have," Ospina said. "Our defensive shape has to improve a lot."
 
The coach said the shutout was due in large part to NAIA All-American senior goalkeeper John-Ramses Thomas.
 
"He had three good saves," Ospina said.
 
Wayland (1-0-0), riding the momentum from an impressive 2-1 scrimmage win over NCAA Division II's 11^th-ranked Midwestern State last week, led 2-0 at halftime over the visiting Mustangs, tacked on two more goals in the second half, and just missed on a handful of other scoring chances, including one by senior Mamadou Sanon that bounced off the side post and another by a wide-open Neuberth that was blocked just before it went across in the closing seconds of the match.
 
Wayland outshot the Mustangs, 15-8. Six of the Pioneers' shots were on goal.
 
Ospina was happy that his team made the most of their scoring opportunities.
 
"I was pleased with the goals," the coach said. "Most of the chances that we had, we scored goals on."
 
The Pioneers, who are ranked the equivalent of 35^th in the NAIA Pre-Season Top 25, next travel east to face a pair of top teams. As part of a tournament in Montgomery, Ala., Wayland takes on second-ranked Auburn-Montgomery, Ala., the defending NAIA national runner-up, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday before meeting No. 25 Belhaven, Miss., at 3 p.m. Monday.
 
"This weekend: we have to take the game to them. If we play like we played today, we're probably going to give up more than three (shots on goal)," Ospina said. "We have to fix all of the mistakes in the back. If we can fix that, we'll probably have good games."
 
Wayland's next home action is 1 p.m. Sept. 6 against Our Lady of the Lake.