#3E West Chester vs #1W Gannon
Game Details: November 14 I 3 P.M.
Location: Steph Petit Stadium (Bloomsburg, Pa.)
Coverage Links: Live Stats I Video I Tickets
Series: 6-7-1
WCU Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
Gannon Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
Fan Information
Tickets for the semifinals must be purchased online via this link. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students in grades K-12, while students from PSAC Member Institutions will be admitted free of charge. No complimentary tickets will be accepted; however, PSAC passes will be accepted.
Fans are also advised that Steph Petit Stadium is a pet-free facility. The PSAC has launched a Championship Central, which is available here. Bloomsburg launched a Championship Central, which is available here.
For fans unable to make the trip to Bloomsburg on Friday afternoon, live stats are available here and live video is available here.
How They Got Here
West Chester advanced to the PSAC Semifinals by way of PKs for the second year in a row after slipping past Millersville on PKs by a 5-4 final on Monday night. West Chester got out to an early lead as Cooper Jackson (Sinking Spring, Pa./Wilson) scored off a free kick assist from Devven Frey (Wyomissing, Pa./Wilson) to give West Chester a 1-0 lead just under five minutes in. Millersville tied the match at 1-1 early in the second half. The Golden Rams and Marauders generated strong chances down the stretch, but both goalkeepers were up to the task, keeping the match tied at 1-1 through 110 minutes, and the match officially ended in a draw. In PKs, West Chester went 5-for-5, with the eventual winning PK being scored by Tommy Bodenschatz (Royersford, Pa./Spring-Ford) before the Marauders pushed their final chance over the crossbar to help send the Golden Rams through.
Flock Talk
West Chester landed a program-record seven Golden Rams on the PSAC East All-Conference squad on Wednesday afternoon led by PSAC East Player of the Year, Peter Tichy (Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom) and four First Team selections as Tichy, Maksym Komperda (Whitehall, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic), Jackson, and Owen Slack (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) earned First Team honors. Ian Alicea (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./Lower Moreland), Frey, and Jaden Howard (Townsend, Del./Middletown) earned second-team honors.
Tichy became the first Golden Ram to earn East Player of the Year honors since Ricky Mucelli in 2005 after scoring five goals (three game-winners) and adding five assists for a team-high 15 points. Komperda and Slack tied with Tichy for the team lead in goals with five each, while they both added an assist for 11 points to tie for second on the team in scoring.
In his sophomore season but first season as the starting keeper, Howard won the starting job in early September and was excellent throughout the year, entering the postseason with a record of 6-5-2 with six shutouts and a 1.00 goals-against average. A two-time PSAC East Defensive Player of the Week, Howard made perhaps the biggest stop of his young career on Friday night at East Stroudsburg in the regular-season finale, making a diving save on a PK opportunity late in the second half to preserve a shutout and help West Cheser return to the PSAC Tournament.
WCU in the PSAC Tournament
Making its 10th PSAC Tournament appearance under head coach Michael Benn, West Chester remains in search of its first PSAC Tournament crown despite making two Championship Game appearances in 2018 and 2023. The 2024 season will mark West Chester’s eighth PSAC Semifinal appearance under Benn’s tutelage and the sixth time in eight seasons that the Golden Rams have advanced to the semifinal round of the PSAC Tournament. Before Benn’s tenure with the Golden Rams, West Chester made eight PSAC Semifinal appearances from 2001-2012, although the team appeared in the PSAC Championship game only once, falling to Lock Haven by a 2-0 final after defeating California by a 3-1 final in the semifinals.
Series History
Dating back to 2004, West Chester and Gannon have played a host of close games over the years, entering Saturday’s matchup with the all-time series split at 6-7-1 in favor of the Golden Knights. Of these 13 meetings, only two games have been decided by more than one goal (a 3-0 victory in 2013 at home for the Golden Rams and a 2-0 victory for Gannon on Rockwell earlier this season). The two teams renew acquaintances from earlier this year when Gannon handed West Chester a Senior Day setback to snap a three-game home winning streak. This matchup came as a PSAC Semifinal rematch from a year ago after West Chester defeated the PSAC West Regular Season Champion Golden Knights in the PSAC Semifinals by a 2-1 final in Erie.
Scouting Gannon
Entering the PSAC Semifinals with a record of 13-2-3 on the year, Gannon captured the PSAC West Regular Season title with a record of 7-0-3 in league play after ending its regular season on a two-game winning streak, outscoring Lock Haven and Pitt-Johnstown by an 8-2 (3-2, 5-0) margin. Gannon has not suffered a loss since September 14, when the Golden Knights fell to 3-2 on the year with a 3-1 loss at home against Adelphi. Gannon is 6-0-2 in games away from home, including a 2-0 victory over West Chester earlier this season, while also going 1-0 in neutral-site games after posting a 4-0 win over Post in Lock Haven on September 25.
Sverre Orten and Pau Ferrer swept PSAC West Player and Defensive Player of the Year honors, while head coach Billy Colton was named PSAC West Coach of the Year. With 64 goals on the year, Gannon shows one of the most high-powered offenses in the PSAC, averaging 3.56 goals per game in 18 games. Orten leads the team in scoring with nine goals and 11 assists for 29 points on the year, while Alander Soares leads the team in goals with 11, along with three assists for 25 points. Per Kristian Lauvstad is second on the team in goals with 10 and three assists for 23 points. Herman Aanberg leads Gannon in assists with 12, while James Pool is third with 10 helpers with four goals for 18 points. In goal, Andre Moares has been excellent throughout the year, playing to a record of 12-2-3 with eight shutouts and a 0.82 goals-against average. Moares registered three shutouts in his last six games, including the 5-0 shutout victory UPJ to conclude the regular season.
With a Win
With a win, West Chester will return to action on Sunday at 1 p.m. in the PSAC Championship game against the winner of the Bloomsburg/Slippery Rock Semifinal earlier on Friday afternoon.
