WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Maksym Komperda (Whitehall, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) scored his team-leading fourth goal of the season and added an assist on the eventual game-winner to help lead the West Chester University men's soccer team (4-1-1, 1-0-0) to a 4-2 victory over Bloomsburg (3-2-1, 0-1-1) in its PSAC East opener on Saturday afternoon.
Komperda's three-point afternoon was trumped only by the outstanding two-goal afternoon from
Peter Tichy (Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom) as Tichy scored the first goal of the game to give West Chester an early lead before scoring the eventual game-winner early in the second half of an assist from Komperda.
Peter Tichy (Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom) opened the scoring with a rocket from just outside the box just 13 minutes in to give the Golden Rams an early 1-0 lead.
Komperda continued his stellar start to the year moments later with his fourth goal of the year, which was a beauty off an assist from
Devven Frey (Wyomissing, Pa./Wilson) to give the Golden Rams a 2-0 lead early in the first half.
With the game appearing as if it would go to halftime with West Chester holding a comfortable two-goal advantage, Bloomsburg cut the deficit in half with a 43rd-minute tally by Patrick Walsh off an assist from Owen Hollobaugh.
West Chester ended the first half with a slim 3-2 lead in shots on goal, while both sides ended the half with five total shots and one corner each.
Just under three minutes into the second half, Tichy scored his second goal of the day off an assist from Komperda as he slid the ball past one Bloomsburg defender before sending a perfect pass into the box to the foot of Tichy to restore a two-goal lead for the Golden Rams.
Alex Fedor (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown East) stretched the lead to 4-1 with a goal following an
Owen Slack (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) corner before Bloomsburg cut the deficit back to 4-2 with a Zack Morales goal on a ball that leaked out of a crowd and into space on the outer edge of the box, which made the score 4-2 WCU with just under 35 minutes to play in regulation
.
Bloomsburg generated its share of chances down the stretch, searching to further chip away at its early deficit, but the Golden Rams defense, led by three saves by
Alexi Amanatidis (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./The Shipley School), was excellent down the stretch, holding off the Huskies for a 4-2 victory.
West Chester ended the game with a slim 6-5 lead in shots on goal, although Bloomsburg led in shots (11-10) and tied West Chester in corners as both sides generated four on Saturday afternoon. Brady Rimple suffered the loss in goal on Saturday afternoon despite making a pair of saves in a valiant effort to slow the Golden Ram offense.
Up Next:
West Chester returns to action on Wednesday evening at Shippensburg beginning at 6:30 p.m.
