MILLERSVILLE, Pa.- Needing at least a point to continue its pursuit of a return to the PSAC Tournament, the West Chester University men's soccer team (6-5-3, 3-3-2) took to the road on Wednesday night to take on PSAC East leader, Millersville (8-3-4, 5-1-2). After winning the first meeting between the two longtime rivals on Rockwell Field earlier this fall, West Chester got out to an early lead but was forced to settle for a 1-1 tie after the Marauders found the tying goal via a penalty kick early in the second half.
Owen Slack (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) gave West Chester a 1-0 lead just over four minutes into the match. This lead stood up for the duration of the first half as the visiting Golden Rams held a slim 1-0 lead, despite being outshot by a 6-4 margin, including a 3-1 disadvantage in shots on goal.
Early in the second half, Millersville sustained pressure on the Golden Ram defense, beginning with a blocked shot in the 52nd minute, followed by a free kick in the 53
rd minute, which eventually led to three corners and another blocked shot attempt. After the third Marauder corner in two minutes, West Chester was whistled for a foul in the box, and Roy Parkyn took full advantage of the penalty kick opportunity to tie the game at 1-1 in the 55
th minute.
West Chester found itself with a man-advantage for the remainder of the match, moments later, after Kehmar Green received a red card just over two minutes later, following a hard foul as the last defender back.
West Chester applied heavy pressure to the Marauder defense in the waning moments, taking three shots and winning five corners in the final nine minutes, but Kieran Finegan made a pair of saves and another shot by
Maksym Komperda (Whitehall, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) in the 84
th minute rang the crossbar as the Marauders escaped with a 1-1 draw against the Golden Rams.
West Chester outshot its hosts by a 7-3 margin in the second half and ended the half with a 6-3 lead in corners to finish the game with an 11-9 lead in shots and a 7-4 lead in corners, although the Marauders finished with a slight 4-3 lead in shots on goal in the draw.
Alexi Amanatidis (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./The Shipley School) made three saves in the draw, while Finegan made two saves with both stops coming in the final nine minutes of the match.
Tonight's result keeps West Chester within striking distance of a playoff spot, although the team is now once again two points back of a tie for the third and final playoff spot. While tonight's draw does in fact give West Chester the season series win over the Marauders, Millersville extended its lead atop the East to four points entering November.
Up Next
West Chester will be back in action on Saturday at Shepherd beginning at 3:30 p.m.
