Box Score
WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Neil Gallagher scored a goal and registered an assist, and freshman Conor Malarney tallied for the second straight game as host West Chester captured the 2010 WCU Fall Classic men’s soccer tournament with a 5-2 upset over No. 15 Wilmington inside Farrell Stadium on a sunny and pleasant Sunday afternoon.
West Chester (2-0-0) and Mercy College (2-0-0) each finished the weekend with a perfect record, after Mercy dispatched Goldey-Beacom, 2-0, in the first game on Sunday. The Golden Rams were declared champions based on goal differential tie-breaker. West Chester was a +7 for the weekend while Mercy was +5.
Both Goldey-Beacom and Wilmington finished 0-2-0 in the tournament.
Malarney was the tournament’s most valuable player, recording three goals over the weekend. His marker on Sunday put the Rams on top 2-1 early in the second half. Malarney took advantage of a mishandled ball by Wilmington’s outside right back and walked along the end line, tucking his shot underneath the Wildcats’ keeper, Duhan Malali four minutes into the second half.
After Wilmington’s Jorge Zapata knotted the score with his second tally of the game two minutes later, West Chester scored three unanswered goals to put the contest away and give the Golden Rams their first win over a nationally ranked opponent in four years.
West Chester opened the scoring on another mistake by Malali. After making a save nine minutes into the contets, Malali went to throw the ball out to his left back when the ball slipped out of his hands. Rams forward Ryan Dicce was there to flick the loose ball past Malali into the right side of the net.
Josh Labik scored the go-ahead goal in the 56th minute of the tilt, giving West Chester a lead it would not relinquish.
Gallagher scored on a diving header in the 87th minute and then assisted on a goal by Kyle Miller with six seconds remaining to put the icing on the cake for the hosts.
West Chester travels to Lock Haven on Wednesday afternoon for its first PSAC contest of the young season.
