WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Needing a win on the final day of the regular season to punch its ticket back to the PSAC Tournament, the West Chester University men's soccer team (9-5-3, 5-3-2) got the result it was looking for with a 2-1 victory over Shippensburg (3-9-4, 0-7-3) on Thursday afternoon on Rockwell Field. The game went to the half tied at 1-1 before West Chester broke the tie late in the second half with a goal from
Maksym Komperda (Whitehall, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic), which was the difference-maker in the 2-1 triumph over a physical Shippensburg team.
Ian Alicea (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./Lower Moreland) scored his second goal of the season less than two minutes in off an
Owen Slack (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) and
Luke Newman (Mission Viejo, Cal./Santa Margarita Catholic) to give West Chester an early lead.
In the 14
th minute,
Sean Duffy (Hockessin, Del./Salesianum) nearly doubled the lead with a header as he raced into the box, but his chance hit the crossbar to keep the lead at one.
Late in the first half, Shippensburg won a free kick just outside the Golden Ram 18, and this eventually turned into a goal when Nate Herb deflected home a shot from the top of the box from Pat McNamara to tie the match at 1-1.
West Chester ended the first half with a 13-3 lead in shots and a 5-1 lead in shots on goal, along with a 5-0 lead in corners.
In the 76
th minute, Luke Kramer nearly gave the Raiders a 2-1 lead, but West Chester managed to clear the ball off the line just in time to keep the match locked at 1-1.
This defensive clearance may very well have saved the season for West Chester as it allowed the Golden Rams to take a 2-1 lead with just under 10 minutes to play when Komperda off Slack's second assist of the day for the eventual game-winner.
Shippensburg pressed down the stretch and resorted to a series of fouls on the Golden Rams in the final moments in increasingly desperate attempts to win the ball back, but it was all for naught as West Chester punched its ticket back to the PSAC Tournament for the ninth year in a row.
West Chester dominated possession throughout the afternoon, finishing the game with a 26-5 lead in shots and a 10-2 lead in shots on goal, along with a 12-1 lead in corner kicks.
Alexi Amanatidis (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./The Shipley School) made one save in goal to earn the victory, while his counterpart, Ryan Krumenacker, made eight stops in an attempt to slow the Golden Ram offense.
Up Next
West Chester will await the conclusion of the East Stroudsburg/Millersville game, which is scheduled for 7 pm tonight, to learn its destination and opponent for Monday's PSAC Quarterfinal. With an ESU win, West Chester will be the third seed in the PSAC East and head to second-seeded Seton Hill in the Quarterfinals on Monday, while a Warrior loss would make West Chester the second seed and allow the Golden Rams to host former PSAC East rival Lock Haven on Monday afternoon at 1 p.m.
