Box Score EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa.- When West Chester (10-5-3) and East Stroudsburg (8-8-3) come together on a soccer field in November, a close match is a given and Tuesday night proved to be no exception as the Golden Rams and Warriors battled for 110 minutes, the match officially ending in a 2-2 draw before the Warriors were able to advance on PKs.
West Chester rebounded from a one-goal deficit twice, scoring just seconds after it fell behind the first time in the first half thanks to a goal by
Frankie Taylor before scoring once more midway through the second half off a long free kick from
Owen Slack to force overtime and eventually PKs in order to decide who would be the other PSAC East representative in the men's soccer final four later this week.
East Stroudsburg opened the scoring in the seventh minute on a loose ball in the box following a free kick from in front of the Warrior bench. West Chester did not trail for long as
Frankie Taylor (Delran, N.J./Delran) answered back just seconds later to even the score at 1-1.
In the 30
th minute, East Stroudsburg regained the lead, which proved to be enough to allow the Warriors to carry a 2-1 lead into the halftime break. At the halftime break, East Stroudsburg held a narrow 8-6 lead in shots as the first half remained tightly contested throughout.
The second half told a different tale as West Chester controlled possession throughout much of the half, ending the half with a 17-6 lead in shots, including the game-tying goal off the foot of freshman
Owen Slack (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley).
Slack netted possibly the biggest goal of his young career in the 67
th minute from just inside midfield, sending a booming free kick over the outstretched hand of ESU keeper Helgi Hermannsson to even the score at 2-2.
As the second half continued with the two sides tied at two, each team generated multiple strong scoring opportunities down the stretch, including dueling shots off the crossbar from
Thomas Hanvey (Allentown, Pa./Emmaus) and Trevor Paone in the late stages, but the score remained even at 2-2.
With just under six minutes to play, ESU got a great look on an unmarked header in front of
Daniel Good (Exton, Pa./Downingtown East) following a long service from in front of the Golden Ram bench but the redshirt-junior keeper was equal to the task, making a huge stop to keep the game tied and eventually force overtime.
In the extra session, East Stroudsburg had the better of the play through the first 10 minutes, outshooting West Chester 3-0 with two of those shots finding their way on goal but Good was once again equal to the task, making two more saves to keep the game scoreless heading into the second overtime period.
With just under five minutes to play in overtime, ESU nearly got the chance it was looking for on a long ball into the box, which led to a jump ball at the top of the 18, but Good was able to secure the loose ball and keep the game tied.
As the clock ticked under a minute, ESU took a shot from 35 yards out but it was directly at Good who handled it easily to give the Golden Rams a final chance at a counter attack. With the two teams unable to find a victor in 110 minutes of soccer, the Golden Rams and Warriors advanced to Penalty Kicks to determine who would advance to the PSAC Semifinals on Friday afternoon at Bloomsburg.
With the match advancing to penalty kicks, West Chester buried its first three attempts with makes from
Gio Jimenez (Turnersville, N.J./Washington Twp), Craig Potts (Stewartstown, Pa./Kennard Dale), and Andrew Markopoulos (Drexel Hill, Pa./Msgr. Bonner & Prendie) and got a big first save from Good but the Warriors were able to storm back and advance on PKs to move onto the PSAC Semifinals on Friday afternoon.
West Chester ended the match with a 23-19 advantage in shots, however, the Warriors finished the game with an 11-6 lead in shots on goal.
Good was spectacular for West Chester, making nine big saves throughout his 110 minutes of work while his counterpart made four saves in the 110 minutes to go along with a pair of big stops during the penalty kicks, which helped his team advance past the third-seeded Golden Rams on Tuesday night inside Eiler-Martin Stadium.
