Whitaker, Sanchez score 2 goals apiece to end drought

Box Score Taval Whittaker scored goals on both of his shots and Juan Sanchez also found the net twice to lead the Wayland Baptist men's soccer team to a convincing 4-1 victory over Our Lady of the Lake on Saturday afternoon at Hilliard Field.
 
The Pioneers (2-2), coming off a pair of tough 1-0 road losses to ranked opponents in Alabama last weekend, got back on the right track thanks to a solid effort from Whittaker, Sanchez and their teammates.

Our Lady of the Lake (0-2-1) took an early 1-0 lead with 22 minutes into the first half after Nickolas Tyrpak came up with a loose ball in front of the net and snuck in a shot past WBU keeper John-Ramses Thomas.

Whittaker, coming off the bench, provided Wayland with the equalizer less than 10 minutes later. The Saints' Marcelo Chapa received a yellow card in the box to set up a penalty kick for the Pioneers. Whittaker took advantage, scoring in the lower right-hand corner of the goal to even the score, 1-1.

Whittaker's goal broke a scoreless drought for Wayland spanning more than 227 minutes and three matches.

After halftime, the Pioneers came out on all cylinders, scoring three times while shutting out the Saints.

"We played much better today," head coach Cristhian Ospina said. "We were able to capitalize on our chances today and score some goals.

"We moved some guys around and put them in different positions, but what really helped us was that our guys are finally starting to understand their roles on the field."

One member of the Pioneer team who has taken on a different role is Sanchez.

Last year Sanchez led the team with nine assists, but in 2014 the reigning Sooner Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year has a team-high four goals.
Twenty-one minutes into the second half, Sanchez picked up his third goal of the year to give the Pioneers a 2-1 lead. Sanchez received a pass from Renato Dos Anjos on a corner kick to provide WBU with the go-ahead goal.

Ten minutes later, Sanchez and David Neuberth broke free to give Wayland a 3-1 lead. With 14 minutes remaining, Neuberth made a nice cross to Sanchez who beat the keeper in the bottom left-hand corner of the goal.

Wayland's final goal came with just one minute remaining when Javier Parry sent the ball over the defense to Whittaker who corralled it, popped it over a defender and sent it to the back of the net for the final score of the game.

Parry and Whittaker were just two of Ospina's reserves to come in and give the Pioneers a good boost.

"The guys who came off the bench today did a really good job for us," Ospina said. "They were a big part of what we did today and they helped us out a lot."

The Pioneers head to Portales, N.M., for their next match against Eastern New Mexico at 4 p.m. Tuesday. The Greyhounds lost their season-opener to Adams State, 1-0, on Thursday and host the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs at noon (CDT) Sunday in Portales.

"Eastern always has a really good team," Ospina said. "They always put up a good fight, so we're going to have to keep working hard, stay humble, and go get a win.

"The important thing for us moving on is leaving today's win behind us so that we can go get ready for the next game."

Wayland then plays Howard Payne in Brownwood on Friday before the team's next home match on Monday, Sept. 15 against McMurry.