WAXAHACHIE --- Wayland Baptist battled through 110 hard-fought minutes and a tense penalty shootout on Tuesday afternoon, however, Nelson won the shootout 3-2 and eliminated the Pioneers from NCCAA Men's Soccer National Championship contention.
The Pioneers opened the match with energy and composure, quickly establishing themselves in the midfield. That strong start paid off in the 19th minute when senior captain
Francis Motsi delivered the breakthrough moment. Motsi pounced on a well-placed ball from defender
Jacob Landles, finishing confidently to give Wayland a 1–0 lead. The goal marked Motsi's first of the match and underscored the Pioneers' intent to control the flow early.
Nelson responded with increased pressure, forcing goalkeeper
Alex Neri into several key moments. The home side eventually found their equalizer in the 44th minute, when Angel Cruz capitalized on a loose ball in the box to level the match at 1–1. Despite the setback, Wayland entered halftime confident after producing four first-half shots and generating the match's most dangerous early chances behind Motsi's aggressive attacking play.
The second half saw Nelson push numbers forward, outshooting the Pioneers 7–1 in the period. Through it all, Neri stood firm. The senior keeper delivered a standout performance, recording four total saves, including two big stops in the final ten minutes to preserve the draw. Defenders
Ian Franchini,
Aaron Debus, and Landles all logged over 100 minutes, anchoring a disciplined back line that held off eight Nelson corner kicks.
Wayland Baptist produced its best chances in overtime, with
Renato Katrip firing high in the 99th minute and Motsi nearly grabbing a winner seconds later. Even with tired legs, the Pioneers continued to hold firm against a flurry of late Nelson set pieces, forcing the match to be decided from the spot.
In the penalty shootout, Debus and Joao Galvao converted their attempts, but the Pioneers narrowly came up short as Nelson converted three of their four to advance.
With the loss, the Pioneers officially conclude their season with an 8-7-2 overall record.
