West Chester at Shepherd
Game Details: October 26 I 3:30 P.M.
Location: Shepherdstown, W.V.
Coverage Links: Live Stats I Video
Series: 10-3-0
WCU Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
Shepherd Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
Last Time Out
West Chester returned home on Wednesday afternoon for its final home game of the regular season, looking to halt a two-game losing streak after falling to a pair of nationally-ranked opponents (No. 16 Gannon and No. 25 Bloomsburg). West Chester took the lead midway through the first half when Peter Tichy (Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom) forced a turnover in the midfield and converted to give the hosts the early one-goal advantage. This first goal came during a half, which saw the Golden Rams apply heavy pressure to the Raider defense. Little changed in the second half as the Golden Rams continued to outplay their guests in almost every facet, ending the match with a 20-9 lead in shots, a 7-5 lead in shots on goal, and an 8-2 lead in corners. West Chester added another goal in the 59th minute when Owen Slack (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) scored his fifth goal of the year off an assist from Devven Frey (Wyomissing, Pa./Wilson) as the Golden Rams cruised to the two-goal triumph. Jaden Howard (Townsend, Del./Middletown) was excellent in goal once again, making five saves for his sixth victory and fifth shutout of the season.
Flock Talk
Howard has been excellent for West Chester throughout the 2024 season, playing to a record of 6-3-1 with five shutouts and a 1.00 goals-against average. Howard enters the weekend third in the PSAC in shutouts and second in saves per game (4.7/g) while also leading the league in save percentage (.825). Howard split time with Alexi Amanatidis (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./The Shipley School) early in the year as the Golden Rams other sophomore keeper has appeared in four games with four starts, showing a record of 2-1-1 with a 2.00 goals-against average on the year.
Offensively, West Chester has been a difficult group to stop this season as the Golden Rams have shown tremendous balance as 10 players have accounted for 26 goals. Five of those 10 players have three or more goals, with Slack and Maksym Komperda (Whitehall, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) leading the way with five each. Slack and Komperda are tied for second on the team in points with 11 each, while Tichy is first with four goals and five helpers for 13 points. Tommy Bodenschatz (Royersford, Pa./Spring-Ford) and Frey are fourth and fifth on the team in scoring with 10 and nine points, respectively. Bodenschatz and Frey have each scored three goals on the year, Bodenschatz has added four assists, while Frey has three to his credit.
Taking Shape
West Chester remained in control of second place in the PSAC East standings on Wednesday with its 2-0 victory over Shippensburg, which gave the Golden Rams revenge for a 3-0 loss at Shippensburg earlier this season. Bloomsburg maintained a four-point lead in the conference standings with a 2-0 win over Shepherd yesterday afternoon as the Huskies appear to be firmly in control of the PSAC East entering the final games of the regular season. Millersville was idle in PSAC play yesterday, playing a non-conference game vs Jefferson, which allowed West Chester to take a three-point lead over the Marauders for second in the East. West Chester also currently holds a tiebreak over Millersville by a 3-0 win on Rockwell earlier this season; however, the team still owes the Marauders a return trip on October 30 for a game that will have a playoff feel. If West Chester earns the No. 2 seed, West Chester will host a Quarterfinal on South Campus again in what will likely be its final home game of the season. Should West Chester chase down Bloomsburg and capture its first regular-season crown since 2018, West Chester would receive a quarterfinal bye and Championship weekend hosting rights for the first time since 2018.
Series History
History opposite Shepherd is relatively limited for the Golden Rams as the two sides did not begin facing each other regularly as conference foes until 2019. West Chester is 10-3-0 all-time vs Shepherd and is currently on a nine-game winning streak dating back to October 31, 2013, when the Golden Rams won by a 7-1 final on Rockwell.
Scouting Shepherd
Shepherd enters play on Saturday afternoon in the midst of a five-game losing streak, which started with the two-goal loss at West Chester on October 5. During this five-game skid, Shepherd has mustered only one goal (a 2-1 loss at Slippery Rock on 10/12) and has been outscored 11-1, including a 2-0 shutout loss against No. 24 Bloomsburg on Wednesday afternoon.
Against Bloomsburg, Shepherd was held without a shot but kept the match scoreless through the first 65 minutes. Kody Besser broke through in the 66th minute off an assist from Jake Pacacha before scoring a goal of his own in the 74th minute off an assist from Alex Wilsterman as the Huskies escaped West Virginia with a 2-0 victory.
With just eight goals to its credit on the year, Shepherd is led offensively by Donik Elshani, who has three goals and an assist for a team-high seven points, while Asong Nkemanjong is second with a pair of goals for four points on the year. Aidan Houck has worked in goal and done his best to keep his side in matches, playing to a record of 3-8-1 with three shutouts and a 1.42 goals-against average entering the final weeks of the 2024 season.
