Box Score MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Wayland Baptist men's soccer team gave the defending NAIA runner-up all it wanted here Saturday night, but the Pioneers ultimately fell to second-ranked Auburn Montgomery, Ala., 1-0.
"We could've won," Wayland coach
Cristhian Ospina said. "We missed some chances to score. We had three chances and didn't score one."
The Warhawks (1-0-0), playing for the first time since falling in last year's national title game to Martin Methodist, Tenn., 2-1 in overtime, scored the match's lone goal on a deep cross header from the right side by Alan Harwell almost eight minutes into the second half.
Ospina called AUM a very "organized team. They knew what they were doing."
Wayland (1-1-0), which opened its season with a 4-0 win over University of the Southwest (Hobbs, N.M.), was outshot 17-12, although the Pioneers had more shots on goal than the Warhawks, 4-3.
Juan Sanchez got off a team-high four shots, including one on goal. Other on-target shots were taken by Mamaou Sanon,
David Neuberth and
Taval Whittaker.
"I'm proud of the guys," Ospina said. "We just have to keep working hard."
Despite the setback, the WBU coach came away confident that the Pioneers can hang with anyone.
"I'm pretty sure we can compete with anyone in the country," he said.
The Pioneers, ranked the equivalent of 35
th in the NAIA Preseason Top 25, continue play in the Capital City Classic being played at Emory Folmar Soccer Complex at 3 p.m. Monday against No. 25 Belhaven, Miss. The Blazers dropped their season-opener earlier Saturday to No. 21 Davenport, Mich., 2-0.
"That will be a good match, too," Ospina said.
