WAXAHACHIE, TX --Wayland Baptist men's soccer came up short Saturday afternoon, falling 3–0 to Nelson University on the road in Waxahachie at Sycamore Street Field.
The Pioneers (6–5–2, 3–3–2 SAC) battled hard but were unable to overcome a strong offensive performance from the Lions, who netted one goal in the first half and added two more after the break.
Nelson opened the scoring in the 24th minute when Joel Palmer finished off a pass from Omolemo Matla to give the hosts a 1–0 lead. Wayland generated a few promising looks before halftime, including shots from
Aaron Debus and
Jamol Williams, but couldn't find the equalizer.
In the second half, the Lions extended their lead in the 65th minute when Matla scored a goal of his own, assisted by Garey Mills. Nelson sealed the match in the 86th minute with a third goal from Teddy Nkamanyi off a setup from Isaiah Borjon.
Wayland totaled five shots on the day, led by Williams with two and one on target. Defender
Aaron Debus, midfielder
Niklas Thiel, and midfielder
Francis Motsi each recorded one shot. Goalkeeper
Alex Neri faced 15 shots and recorded one save in 86 minutes of play.
Motsi picked up a yellow card in the 82nd minute as the Pioneers continued to push forward in search of a late spark.
Despite the loss, Wayland's defense stayed organized for long stretches, limiting Nelson's quality chances after the opening goal.
The Pioneers will look to regroup as they return home to celebrate Senior Night on Tuesday, October 28
th against Oklahoma Panhandle State. The team will hold a pregame ceremony to honor the seniors, then the match will begin at 6:30 PM.
