WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Owen Slack (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) buried a penalty kick with just over 26 minutes to play in the match to lift the second-seeded West Chester University men's soccer team (10-5-3) to a 1-0 victory over Lock Haven (8-7-4) on Monday afternoon on Rockwell Field.
Lock Haven generated a handful of chances to start the match, but much of the first was played in the midfield as the game was physical from the start.
Kade Black had an early chance for Lock Haven in the 12
th minute, but it was smothered by a diving
Alexi Amanatidis (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./The Shipley School).
West Chester countered with a flurry of chances in the next 30 minutes of the half, including a free kick chance by Slack, which was handled well by Ethan Beck to prevent what would have otherwise been an excellent scoring chance late in the half.
West Chester applied early pressure after halftime, and this steady effort eventually led to the PK in the 64
th minute.
Peter Tichy (Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom) got a chance with a shot that was cleared off the line by a Lock Haven defender, but it was cleared back into play, giving the junior another look. His follow-up chance was stopped by the hand of a Bald Eagle defender in the box, resulting in the penalty kick opportunity for the Golden Rams.
With the Golden Rams' first PK chance of the season, Slack stepped to the spot and buried the chance into the lower left corner of the goal, giving the Golden Rams an important 1-0 advantage. West Chester is now 7-0-2 on the year when Slack scores at least a point, including its 2-1 victory over Shippensburg in the regular-season finale, which helped the Golden Rams return to the PSAC Tournament for the 11
th time under head coach
Michael Benn.
Lock Haven countered quickly and won a corner less than a minute later, which was initially handled by the Golden Ram defense, but this was not the end of a flurry of chances for the Bald Eagles.
In the 68
th minute, Lock Haven earned another corner, and the first shot attempt by Black was blocked before Noah Brady took a shot on the far-post, which appeared destined for the back of the net if not for an incredible save by Amanatidis, which kept the 1-0 lead intact.
With just under 10 minutes to play, Black received a pass out wide and looked as if he might walk in on goal, but
Michael Regan (Philadelphia, Pa./Father Judge) made an excellent defensive stop to put an end to the Lock Haven chance, if only for a moment.
The final seven minutes saw Lock Haven dominate possession in the Golden Ram half of the field, taking three shots, a corner, and a pair of free kicks, consistently testing the Golden Ram defense down the stretch.
Benn's unit was up to the task late as Amanatidis made two more critical saves on chances by Scott Manning and Billy Lawrence, and the backline, led by junior captain
Ian Alicea (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./Lower Moreland), stepped in when necessary to clear the ball and help West Chester hold on for the 1-0 victory.
West Chester ended the game with a 20-12 lead in shots and a 7-5 lead in shots on goal, while Lock Haven finished the afternoon with a 7-6 lead in corners.
Amanatidis improved to 5-1-2 in goal with his third win in a row and second shutout in those three wins as the junior made five saves in the victory.
Ethan Beck also played well in goal for the third-seeded Bald Eagles, making five stops in an attempt to slow the Golden Ram offense.
Today's victory is West Chester's first PSAC Quarterfinal victory in regulation since a 2-0 win over East Stroudsburg in 2019 and helps the team make its third consecutive PSAC Semifinal appearance (West Chester has advanced on PKs in each of the last two seasons). West Chester will tangle with PSAC West Regular Season Champion, Gannon, for the third year in a row, looking to improve to 2-1-0 against the Golden Knights in the Semifinals since 2023. The last Golden Ram victory over Gannon in the PSAC Semifinals was in 2023 in Erie when the Golden Rams stunned their hosts with a 2-1 victory. This was West Chester's last win over Gannon as the team is currently on a three-game losing streak, including a heartbreaking 1-0 loss in the PSAC Semifinals in Bloomsburg last November.
Up Next
West Chester will be back in action on Friday afternoon in Erie against top-seeded Gannon, beginning at 2 p.m.
