Hector Romero set a school record by scoring five goals as Wayland Baptist set a new mark for most goals in a game in a season-opening 11-0 rout of Ecclesia College (Ark.) on Friday evening at Hilliard Field.
"For the most part we saw what we wanted to see for a first game," Wayland coach
Robert Ssejjemba said. "We wanted to get into good habits and continue doing those things. We're not where we need to be, but I'm pleased with what we saw from each player. We have an opportunity to build from there."
Romero, a senior from Manteca, Calif., who scored three goals all of last season, broke the old record of three goals, held by four former Pioneers. In fact, Romero broke the record in the second half alone when, after scoring once in the first half, he found the back of the net four times in the final 45 minutes.
Romero actually recorded his five goals in a 30-minute period, starting from about the 41
st minute to the 70
th minute.
It took Wayland 9½ minutes to notch its first goal, but the scoring came fast and furious after that as the Pioneers broke the old record for most goals in a game – nine – set in 2016.
"We started off a little slow," Ssejjemba said. "We talked about raising our tempo and intensity. I thought we didn't do that right away. We were forcing a lot of balls over the top. We were very predictable the first 20 minutes. Even leading, we were still not playing the way we wanted to play.
"The second half was much better. We had more intensity on the ball, and obviously created more. We had fresh legs out there, too. The beauty of scoring more goals is you get a chance to see everyone that you'd like to see."
Besides Romero, whose 11 points (he had one assist) shattered the team record of seven, three other Pioneers scored multiple goals with senior
Stefano Pesce and newcomers
Marco Magnoli and Elton Tetty getting two each. Magnoli also logged three assists. If not for Romero's 11-point match, Magnoli would have tied the team record for points with his seven.
Wayland also set program records for most team assists with nine and most points with 31. The old record for points was 24 set during an 8-0 victory over Bacone in 2018.
First-year transfer
Praise Ayeni managed two assists. In addition to Romero,
Gerardo Perdomo,
Alessandro Felizzola and Pesce had one assist apiece.
Many of the Pioneers' goals came on breakaway plays after Wayland stole the ball from the Royals (1-2).
"I like the way we played today overall," Ssejjemba said.
Wayland outshot Ecclesia, 31-3, with 21 shots on-goal for the Pioneers. WBU starting keeper
Brandon Duarte, who played the first 73 minutes before giving way to
Erick Macias, saved the Royals' lone shot on goal.
It was the first-ever meeting between WBU and Ecclesia.
"With a new team like we have, practice alone is not going to bring out what you hope to see, so we were able to get a look at some things," Ssejjemba said.
Wayland's next outing will be a scrimmage against Western Texas College on Saturday, Sept. 26 beginning with a women's match at 4 p.m. followed by the men at 6 at the Bowl. The Pioneers' next official game is at home against Arizona Christian at 7 p.m. Oct. 1.
"We'll correct those few mistakes we made and keep working," Ssejjemba said. "Our next opponents will be stronger and test us more than Ecclesia. I'm looking forward to seeing how we grow and take the next step."
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