ERIE, Pa.- The West Chester University men's soccer team (2-1-1) is back on the road this weekend as the Golden Rams trek across Pennsylvania to take on Gannon (1-1-2) in non-conference action in a rematch of last year's PSAC Semifinal battle, which saw the Golden Knights escape with a 1-0 victory in overtime. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. from McConnell Family Stadium.
West Chester at Gannon
Match Details: Saturday, September 20 I 1 P.M.
Location: McConnell Family Stadium (Erie, Pa.)
Series: 6-8-1
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Last Time Out
West Chester returned home on rain-soaked Wednesday afternoon to host ECC foe Mercy, hoping to capitalize on momentum from its road win at Southern Connecticut State on Saturday afternoon. West Chester carried a 3-2 lead into the final two minutes of the match, but a late shot from distance by Mercy tied the game at 3-3 with 1:30 to play and ended the match in a hard-fought draw. Mercy took a 1-0 lead into the half thanks to a mid-half goal before
Owen Slack (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) found the equalizer just five minutes into the second half to tie the game at 1-1.
Sean Duffy (Hockessin, Del./Salesianum) gave West Chester its first home lead of the season just over a minute later before assisting on a goal by
Maksym Komperda (Whitehall, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) in the 62
nd minute, which broke a 2-2 tie. Leading 3-2 with under two minutes to play, Juan Gonzalez unleashed a long shot from above the box and through traffic to beat a diving
Jaden Howard (Townsend, Del./Middletown), tying the game at 3-3.
Howard made four stops in the draw, and West Chester ended the match with an 18-16 lead in shots to go along with a 10-7 lead in shots on goal.
Flock Talk
Komperda is first on the team in scoring with three goals and one assist for seven points, while Slack and
Peter Tichy (Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom) are close behind with five points (two goals/one assist) and four points (one goal/two assists), respectively.
Sean Duffy (Hockessin, Del./Salesianum) also has a goal and an assist to his credit after picking up both in the draw vs Mercy on Wednesday.
Jaden Howard (Townsend, Del./Middletown) is 1-1-1 on the year with a 2.33 goals-against average, while
Alexi Amanatidis (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./The Shipley School) is 1-0-0 on the year with a 1.00 goals-against average.
Komperda Heating Up
Komperda has scored three goals in his last two games, including a two-goal effort at Southern Connecticut State last Saturday, before adding another goal in the 3-3 draw vs Mercy on Wednesday afternoon. The junior forward is tied for second in the league in goals, just one goal behind Jace Seara and Owen Rennie of East Stroudsburg. He is also third in points with seven, trailing only Rennie and Seara, who are first and second with 10 and eight, respectively.
We Meet Again
West Chester will face Gannon for the fourth time in the last three seasons on Saturday afternoon, looking to halt a two-game losing streak to the Golden Knights and improve to 7-8-1 in the all-time series. West Chester and Gannon met twice a year ago, first tangling on Rockwell Field in mid-October before facing off again in the PSAC Semifinals at Bloomsburg. West Chester dropped the October meeting by a 2-0 final before taking the Golden Knights to overtime, where they fell in the PSAC Semifinals by a 1-0 final. West Chester is 3-3 against Gannon in Erie, including wins in 2023 and 2018, with the last setback coming by a 2-1 final in September 2015.
On the Road Again
West Chester is right back on the road today after returning home to host Mercy on a rain-soaked Wednesday afternoon. The Golden Rams will visit Gannon on Saturday and return home to host Cal next Saturday before renewing their rivalry with Millersville on Rockwell Field on October 1.
Around the Corner
West Chester has three non-league games remaining on its slate, but only two to play before league play opens on October 1 vs Millersville. West Chester will play a team from the PSAC West in each of its next two games in Gannon and California (Pa.) before opening league play against the Marauders. West Chester will conclude non-league play in November against Holy Family when the Tigers visit Rockwell Field on November 3.
Scouting Gannon
Gannon is in the midst of an uncharacteristic season as the normally top-10-ranked Golden Knights find themselves unranked in mid-September with a record of 1-1-2, with the lone victory coming over No. 25 Ashland at home last Friday. The one-goal victory over Ashland is the Golden Knights' lone home match so far this season, as the team opened the year with a 3-3 draw at Lake Erie before falling 4-0 to East Stroudsburg at ESU and playing to a 1-1 draw against Post in Lock Haven on Tuesday afternoon.
Sverre Orten remains the Golden Knights' leading scorer with two goals and one assist for five points, while Jack Kenyon, Enzo Rekka, and Shota Toyama all have one goal and one assist for three points each. In goal, Samuel Alarcon is 1-0-1 on the year with a 1.20 goals-against average in three appearances and two starts. Andre Moraes is 0-1-1 with a 3.33 goals-against average after making the first two starts of the season.
Up Next
West Chester will return home next Saturday to host California (Pa.) on Senior Day beginning at 1 p.m.
