WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Trailing by a goal at the half, the West Chester University men's soccer team (3-2-1) scored three unanswered goals in the second half to post a 3-1 Senior Day victory over California (Pa.) (2-3-1) on Saturday afternoon on Rockwell Field.
Hoping to spoil Senior Day for West Chester, Cal opened the scoring in the 21
st minute when Brady Olsen corralled a loose ball in the box and drove it past the outstretched hand of
Jaden Howard (Townsend, Del./Middletown) to give the Vulcans the 1-0 lead.
The remainder of the first half, while relentlessly physical from both sides, was uneventful from an offensive standpoint as this shot was the lone shot of the half for Cal, and West Chester's 11 first-half shots resulted in just two saves by AJ Visco in goal for the Vulcans.
At halftime, West Chester honored its senior class of
Jason Goldfeder (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cedar Cliff), Owen Slack (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley), and
Dillon Barbieri (Souderton, Pa./Souderton) for all they have accomplished in their time as Golden Rams.
In the second half, West Chester attacked the Vulcan defense with renewed energy, taking nine shots on goal, beginning with the tying goal from Barbieri.
Luke Newman (Mission Viejo, Ca./Santa Margarita Catholic) brought the ball down the West Chester sideline and into the box and sent a perfect pass into a sea of Golden Rams, finding the foot of Barbieri, who made the most of the chance, burying it in the back of the net to tie the game in the 48
th minute.
Just over 10 minutes later,
Ian Alicea (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./Lower Moreland) scored his first goal of the season on a flying header off a perfect corner from
Michael Regan (Philadelphia, Pa./Father Judge) to give West Chester a 2-1 lead with just over 32 minutes to play.
With sour memories of a late 2-2 draw against Mercy perhaps dancing in their heads, the Golden Rams tacked on a vital insurance goal in the 72
nd minute when Newman picked up his second assist of the day on as he shuttled a pass from Slack to the feet of a cutting
Maksym Komperda (Whitehall, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic), who buried the chance for his fifth goal of the year and fifth in four games to give West Chester a commanding 3-1 lead.
California did not have much for its hosts down the stretch, taking just two shots on goal and requiring only one save by Howard in the second half as the Golden Rams celebrated their senior class with their first home victory of the season.
Breno Santos entered for the second half and suffered the 3-1 loss for the Vulcans, despite making six saves, including a leaping stop, which took away a goal from Slack midway through the second half.
West Chester ended the match with a 24-3 lead in shots and an 11-2 lead in shots on goal, along with a 7-1 lead in corner kicks.
Up Next
West Chester will need to rest for the remainder of this weekend as PSAC East play begins on Wednesday afternoon at Rockwell Field with a visit from archrival Millersville, starting at 3:30 p.m. After its first of two dates with the Marauders on Wednesday, West Chester will head to Bloomsburg on Saturday night to renew its rivalry with the Huskies, beginning at 6 p.m.
