WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Following a 3-1 victory over Southern Connecticut State on Saturday afternoon, the West Chester University men's soccer team (2-1-0) is ready for its next non-league test as Mercy (2-2) visits Rockwell Field on Wednesday afternoon for a 3 p.m. kick.
West Chester vs Mercy
Match Details: Wednesday, September 16 I 3 P.M.
Location: Rockwell Field (West Chester, Pa.)
Series: 5-1
Live Coverage: Live Stats I
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Last Time Out
West Chester bounced back from a 2-0 loss against Wilmington in a big way on Saturday in Connecticut, posting a dominant 3-1 victory over Southern Connecticut State to improve to 2-1-0 on the young season.
Maksym Komperda (Whitehall, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) scored twice while
Tyler Vagner (Mullica Hill, N.J./Clearview) scored the first goal of his Golden Ram career to help lead the West Chester offense. SCSU ended the match with a 13-8 lead in shots and a 5-4 lead in shots on goal, but
Alexi Amanatidis (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./The Shipley School) was sharp in goal, making four saves in his season debut to backstop West Chester to the 3-1 victory.
Flock Talk
Komperda moved into first on the team scoring chart on Saturday with five points on the year, thanks to his two goals in the win and his assist in the season-opening win at Jefferson.
Owen Slack (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) and
Peter Tichy (Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom) are tied for second on the team in scoring with three points each, registering one goal and one assist each on the season. All told, six different Golden Rams have found the back of the net as
Dillon Barbieri (Souderton, Pa./Souderton), Joseph Maxwell (Langhorne, Pa./Neshaminy), and Vagner have also all scored this season.
Jaden Howard (Townsend, Del./Middletown) is 1-1-0 in goal with a 2.00 goals-against average and a 71.4 % save percentage after starting the first two games of the year. Amanatidis got the start on Saturday and made four saves on five shots while allowing one goal for his first win of the season.
What's Ahead
West Chester will head West on Saturday afternoon to take on Gannon before hosting California (Pa.) on Saturday, the 27th, on what will also be Senior Day for the Golden Rams. This game against the Vulcans was originally set to be the Golden Rams' final non-league tilt of the regular season, with league play getting underway vs Millersville on October 1, but the game vs Holy Family, which was postponed early in September, has been rescheduled for Monday, November 3, at 2 p.m.
Series History
West Chester is 5-1 against Mercy in its history, including a 4-0 loss in Dobbs Ferry last September in the first meeting between the two sides since 2008.
Scouting Mercy
Mercy enters play on Wednesday at 2-2 on the year after posting a 3-2 win over Bridgeport at home on Saturday afternoon. The Mavericks opened the year with a 2-1 win at East Stroudsburg before falling to perennial powers Southern New Hampshire and Adelphi by 2-0 and 3-0 finals. Mercy found itself trailing by a pair early but countered quickly with three goals down the stretch of the first half, scoring in the 18
th, 28
th, and 43
rd minutes to erase the early deficit and hold on for a 3-2 victory. Mercy ended the game with a 17-9 lead in shots and a 10-4 lead in shots on goal, along with an 11-4 lead in corner kicks. Mateo Sanchez settled in nicely after allowing two goals in the first 10 minutes, making two saves down the stretch to preserve the 3-2 victory.
Hugo Martin and Mario de Roque Zazon have both scored two goals each this season, and Pau Ramon added a goal of his own as one of the three Mavericks to find the back of the net through the first four games. Sanchez is 2-2 in goal with a 2.00 goals-against average and a 68.0 % save percentage, making 17 stops and allowing eight goals through the first four games of the campaign.
Up Next
After the Golden Rams face Mercy on Wednesday afternoon, the team will make the trek across the state to take on Gannon in Erie on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.
