Statesmen take heated Heart matchup

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Three second-half goals by William Penn broke open a chippy, hard-fought men's soccer match on Tuesday night as the Statesmen defeated Mount Mercy, 3-1, in Heart of America Athletic Conference action at Hadzic Field.

An evenly played first half ended in a scoreless tie, but four minutes into the second period Nick Serrano got the Statesmen on the board. Itsuki Ishihara (JR/Hyogo, Japan) leveled the match for the Mustangs in the 63rd minute, then things heated up. Tempers flared when William Penn players taunted the Mustang bench after Edgar Tavares' go-ahead goal in the 75th minute.

That led to a barrage of cards for both teams, including a red to William Penn that had the Statesmen playing a man down for the final 14 minutes of the match. Mount Mercy couldn't take advantage, however, as the game ended with a final score of 3-1. William Penn improved to 3-4-0 overall and 3-2-0 in conference play while Mount Mercy slipped to 1-2-2 overall and 1-1-2 in the Heart.

The Mustangs are on the road for their next two matches, beginning with a trip to Lamoni this weekend to take on Graceland (4-2-0, 2-2-0 Heart) on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.