LaGRANGE, Ga. - The W men's soccer found the going rough in its 2026 season opening match at LaGrange College in a 6-0 setback. The Owls are 0-1-0, while the Panthers are 1-0-0 in the lid-lifter for both clubs.
The youthful MUW side, under first-year head coach
Stewart Mena, could not contain the more experienced Panthers on their home pitch. The W was outshot by a 32-3 margin and 16-2 for shots on frame.
The Owls trailed by a manageable score, 2-0, at the half. However, the host LAG squad netted four second-half tallies to thwart any hopes of an MUW comeback.
MUW's tandem of freshman goalkeepers combined for 10 saves, overall.
Will Rickman handled matters in the opening 45 minutes and had three saves.
Kenneth Starr then posted seven second-half stops of his own.
The Owls three shot attempts all came in the first half. Senior
Jordan Ware, along with newcomers
Luis Correa and
Drake Ballard, each had one try, apiece. Ware and Ballard sent their shots on-goal, only to be turned away by the Panthers' netminder.
The W will look to get into the victory column on Monday, September 7, at 11 a.m., with a home contest versus University of the Ozarks at the Roger Short Soccer Complex. Mena took over the Owls' program after serving seven years as an assistant with Ozarks, where he also played collegiately, as well.
