No.4 Pioneers open SAC with convincing win

Beginning defense of their back-to-back Sooner Athletic Conference titles, the Wayland Baptist men's soccer team recorded one of its best outings of the season here Tuesday night, taking down Texas Wesleyan at Hilliard Field, 3-0.
 
"It's great to start (conference) with a win. I think we should have been up a little bit more, but it's good they didn't score on us," Wayland coach Cristhian Ospina said. "We definitely have improved from our last game. That's a positive."
 
The Pioneers (6-1, 1-0 SAC) took out the Lions (4-4, 0-1) with goals by Ricardo Ramos and substitutes Jose Hincapie and Chris Eduardo.
 
"We got two goals from our bench, which is nice," Ospina said.
 
Hincapie's first goal of the season put Wayland up 1-0 as the junior transfer found the back of the net just 2:23 before halftime. After a long punt by goalie Ziggy Camejo that carried with a strong wind past midfield, a high bounce down the right side allowed Molley Karpeh to get free. Karpey crossed to Luis Almeida, whose shot deflected off Texas Wesleyan keeper Bastian Blumenberg at the feet of HIncapie, who drilled it in from short range.
 
Eduardo put in a much-needed insurance goal, his third of the season, in the 58^th minute. Eduardo took a pass from Almeida and got loose before taking a shot from 20 yards out.
 
Then with nine minutes remaining, Ramos made it 3-0 when he drilled a beautiful left-footed shot from 25 yards out to the far post. The Rams' keeper got a hand on it but couldn't prevent Ramos' team-leading fifth goal, which gave Reece Harrison his second assist as a Pioneer.
 
Wayland outshot the Rams, 24-5, including nine on-goals to just two. Ramos, Harrison and Eduardo fired four shots apiece.
 
It was the fifth shutout of the season for the Pioneers and fourth for keeper Ziggy Camejo.
 
"We're showing improvement and all the guys are getting better, but we're still far from where we want to be," Ospina said. "I was proud of their effort."
 
The coach did say he liked to see the Pioneers "enjoying ourselves a little more. As long as they stay responsible and do their job defensively. We must stay disciplined and organized."
 
The Pioneers next take the pitch at 2 p.m. Saturday in Oklahoma City against Mid-America Christian, which like Wayland carries a 6-1 record and 1-0 in conference after the Evangels blanked visiting John Brown University on Tuesday, 3-0.
 
"They're a very good team and play more offensively, plus we're visiting so that's always a plus for them," Ospina said of MACU. "I expect a very good game.
 
"We just have to take it one game at a time. From now on everybody's playing for something."