EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa.- The West Chester University men's soccer team (4-3-1, 1-1-0) returns to action on Wednesday night at East Stroudsburg (4-3-2, 1-0-1), looking to bounce back from a 2-0 defeat at Bloomsburg on Saturday evening, which halted a modest two-game winning streak. West Chester will play its second night game in a row on Wednesday night, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. from Eiler-Martin Stadium.
West Chester at East Stroudsburg
Game Details: October 8 I 7 P.M.
Location: Eiler-Martin Stadium (East Stroudsburg, Pa.)
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Series: 42-47-19
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Last Time Out
West Chester put its two-game winning streak to the test on Saturday night at Bloomsburg, falling to the defending PSAC Champions by a 2-0 final. Bloomsburg scored a pair of goals in the first half. Despite a valiant second-half comeback effort by West Chester, which included increased pressure on the Husky defense, the visitors were unable to find the back of the net in the two-goal setback.
Flock Talk
Maksym Komperda (Whitehall, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) leads the team in scoring with five goals and one assist for 11 points on the season, while
Owen Slack (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) and
Peter Tichy (Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom) are second and third with seven (two goals/three assists) and six (two goals/two assists), respectively. Komperda enjoyed an excellent streak to end September, scoring a goal in four straight games, including two in the win over Southern Connecticut State, but has yet to score in PSAC East play.
In goal,
Jaden Howard (Townsend, Del./Middletown) is 3-3-1 on the year with a 2.00 goals-against average and 25 saves in 630 minutes of work.
It's October
Although it's only the third league game of the year, teams are already keeping an eye toward the postseason, as there are only five other teams in the PSAC East, and just a point separates the top five. Bloomsburg and East Stroudsburg are atop the table with four points (1-0-1) each, while West Chester, Shepherd, and Millersville are all 1-1-0 on the season.
Rank and File
West Chester continues to receive votes in the latest United Soccer Coaches rankings after going 2-1-0 in its last three games as the team looks to break into the top-25 for the first time this season.
Road Warriors
West Chester will play its second straight game away from home on Wednesday night, and it will also be the middle game of a stretch, which will see West Chester play three of four away from Rockwell Field. The lone home game will be a Saturday matchup with Shepherd beginning at 1 p.m.
Series History
East Stroudsburg maintains a 47-42-19 lead over West Chester in the all-time series, as the Golden Rams have not defeated the Warriors on the road since September 2019. West Chester did halt a winless streak against ESU last fall with a 3-2 win on Rockwell Field to open the series before battling to a scoreless draw at ESU in the regular-season finale.
Scouting ESU
East Stroudsburg enters play at 4-3-2 overall and 1-0-1 in league play after defeating Shepherd by a 2-0 final in West Virginia on Saturday afternoon. ESU scored its first goal of the match in the 18
th minute before adding another in the 80
th to seal the 2-0 victory, despite the Rams ending the match with a 9-7 lead in shots and a 4-2 lead in shots on goal.
ESU is 3-1-1 at home this season and has not lost on its home turf since a 2-1 setback against Mercy in the season opener on September 4. Since this loss, the Warriors have defeated Gannon (4-0), Jefferson (3-0), and Adelphi (2-1) at home, while playing to a scoreless draw against Bloomsburg in its league opener last Wednesday.
Owen Rennie and Jace Seara are first and second on the team in scoring with 10 and nine points, respectively. Rennie has four goals and two assists on the year, while Seara has four goals and one assist. Ryan Kiernan is third on the team in scoring with two goals and one assist for five points.
Kevin Kretschman is a veteran presence in goal for ESU, entering play on Wednesday night with a 4-3-2 record on the year, a 1.13 goals-against average, and 20 saves in 796 minutes of action. The Warriors keeper has yet to allow a goal in October, posting back-to-back shutouts over Bloomsburg and Shepherd for his third and fourth shutouts of the year.
Up Next
West Chester will return to action at home on Saturday against Shepherd, with the game set to begin at 1 p.m.
