Box Score
WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Miguel Ross finished off a cross from Alex Caplan five minutes into overtime to lift No. 20 West Chester to a 1-0 victory over visiting Shippensburg in the PSAC Quarterfinals at Rockwell Field Tuesday afternoon.
West Chester (13-3-2) advances to the conference semifinals with its 10th straight win on the season where it will face top-seed and host Mercyhurst University at 11 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 8. Shippensburg ends its season at 9-7-2.
Caplan played the cross over to Ross from the left side of the field just outside the penalty area. Ross was standing in the corner of the 6-yard box and booted home the game winner.
"The whole team played with a lot of spirit," Ross said afterwards. "Everyone contributed to this win. I was lucky enough to be chosen to score the goal for our team."
Ross' 11th tally of the season ties him for the team lead with senior team captain Conor Malarney. It also marks the third straight game in which he has scored a goal and the fifth time in West Chester's last six games that he has found the back of the net. Seven of his 11 goals have come during that run of good fortune.
"He caught up to me in goals," Malarney joked. "But, I'm proud of the kid. He let the first (attempt) get away from him, but he got the second and put it away."
"I'm so proud of my guys," WCU first-year head coach Michael Benn said. "We found out at 4:30 p.m., yesterday that we were playing today, and their reaction was fantastic. They realized, after an initial disappointment, that we can still win a PSAC championship. Since the first meeting in preseason, that is the goal that this team has been focused on."
West Chester would not have been playing in the 95th minute if not for the heroics of sophomore goalkeeper Ryan Shultz. He made two marvelous saves in the first half to keep Shippensburg off the scoreboard. Perhaps the two saves of the season, literally, came in the final six minutes when Shultz made a diving stop to his right of a liner along the ground by the Raiders' James Conner. Three minutes later, Shultz dove high and to his left and punched an attempt off a corner kick over the crossbar.
Senior Kevin McCann was also credited with a team save when he stopped a shot from Shippensburg's Derrick Roy in the 23rd minute. Shultz had seven saves by halftime and finished with nine for the game. Shippensburg senior Clay Sale made 10 saves, including eight after halftime and three in the five minutes of overtime.
"Shultz played great," Benn lauded afterwards. "I can't say enough of the game that he played today. He made those two amazing saves in the first half down here, and he defended his box well at the other end."
"I always feel confident in my team," Shultz commented. "This team is always looking to play another game. Miguel has another goal. He has been contributing all year."
West Chester will face the only team to beat the Golden Rams on the field this fall Friday when the Rams travel to Mercyhurst.
"(Mercyhurst) is a great team," Malarney said. "We are excited to play them again."
