WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Joseph Maxwell (Langhorne, Pa./Neshaminy) scored the eventual game-winner just over seven minutes into the match to help lead the West Chester University men's soccer team (6-4-4, 5-3-2) to a 3-0 victory over Shippensburg (2-6-5, 1-6-0) on Saturday afternoon on Rockwell Field.
In addition to extending the Golden Rams' unbeaten and shutout streak to three games in a row, West Chester also punched its ticket back to the PSAC Tournament and, for at least a few hours, jumped from third in the PSAC East standings to first with a one-point lead over Millersville. Today's victory also gives head coach
Michael Benn his 150
th win as a collegiate head coach and his 140
th at the helm of the Golden Rams.
Maxwell was one of three Golden Rams to find the back of the net in the victory as
Joshua Rick (Berwyn, Pa./Devon Prep) picked up his first collegiate goal in the 23
rd minute off
Peter Tichy's (Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom) second assist of the afternoon after he also helped setup Maxwell's goal just over seven minutes into the match before
Maksym Komperda (Whitehall, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) scored a goal of his own in the 53
rd minute off a
Danny McGonagle (Glen Mills, Pa./Rustin) assist.
Komperda's early second-half goal truly put the game away for West Chester as the senior scored his team's leading fifth goal of the season and his third in the last five games.
Jaden Howard (Townsend, Del./Middletown) made eight saves in the victory, improving to 6-3-3 on the year with his seventh shutout of the campaign while also lowering his goals-against average to 0.72. With today's shutout, Howard enters Wednesday just one shutout away from tying for third all-time in career shutouts with Joe Bocklet and Sean Gablehouse, who have 15 each.
Shippensburg finished the game with a slim 15-12 lead in shots, although shots on goal were even at 8-8 and West Chester finished with a 5-4 lead in corners.
Up Next
West Chester will return to action on Wednesday afternoon at home against Lackawanna beginning at 2 p.m.
