WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Winners of three of four, the West Chester University men's soccer team (4-3-2) returns to action at home on Saturday afternoon against No. 20 Gannon (7-1-1), beginning at 12 p.m. Saturday is also Senior Day for West Chester as the Golden Rams will honor their six-player senior class at halftime of Saturday's game.
West Chester vs. #20 Gannon
Game Details: October 3 – 12 P.M. | Rockwell Field (West Chester, Pa.)
Series: 6-10-1
Coverage Links: Live Stats I
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WCU Links: NEWS I
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Gannon Links: NEWS I
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Five Things to Know
- West Chester enters play on Saturday winners of three of the last four and allowing just one goal over that four-game stretch (a 1-0 setback vs East Stroudsburg on Rockwell on September 23). Most recently, West Chester defeated Shepherd 1-0 on a rainy, windy Sunday afternoon at Rockwell Field before picking up a 3-0 road win over Lackawanna on Wednesday for the team's best scoring output to date in the 2026 season. At Lackawanna, Joseph Maxwell (Langhorne, Pa./Neshaminy) scored the game-winner in the 15th minute, and Ian Alicea (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./Lower Moreland) and Ryan Rauber (Homer, N.Y./Tully JR-SR) added goals in the 53rd and 87th minutes. Jaden Howard (Townsend, Del./Middletown) made two saves for his second consecutive shutout.
- Lukas Bentsen (Erie, Pa./McDowell) and Peter Tichy (Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom) remain tied for first on the team in scoring with three goals and one assist for seven points each. Maksym Komperda (Whitehall, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) has two goals, including the winner on Sunday against Shepherd, along with an assist for five points on the year. In goal, Howard has improved to 4-2-1 and lowered his goals-against average to 0.67 with 38 saves and four shutouts in eight starts. Rafa Hyde leads the team in scoring with nine goals and three assists for 21 points, while Kristian Per Lauvstad is second with six goals and two assists for 14 points. David Ivascu has five goals and an assist for 11 points. Caspar Linder is 4-1-0 in goal with a 1.06 goals-against average in five starts, while Anthony Di Gioia is 2-0-1 between the pipes with a 1.67 goals-against average in three starts, with his last start coming in the 2-2 draw against Post in early September.
- Gannon heads into Saturday afternoon's matchup at 7-1-1 on the year and 3-0-0 in PSAC West action, riding a five-game winning streak, including a 6-1 win over California on Wednesday and a 9-0 win over Pitt-Johnstown last Saturday. This winning streak follows a 2-0 loss to Lake Erie and a 2-2 draw against Post two games later, dropping the Golden Knights to 2-1-1.
- Saturday is Senior Day for the Golden Rams as the team will honor its six-player senior class, which includes Ian Alicea, Alexi Amanatidis, Jaden Howard, Maksym Komperda, Joseph Maxwell, and Peter Tichy at halftime of Saturday's game.
- West Chester and Gannon will square off for the sixth time in the last four seasons on Saturday afternoon as the Golden Rams search for their first win over the Golden Knights since a 2-1 PSAC Semifinal victory in Erie in November 2023. West Chester is 2-3-1 at home against Gannon, including a 2-0 setback against the Golden Knights on Rockwell Field in October 2024.
Up Next
West Chester remains home on Wednesday afternoon to host Millersville beginning at 3 p.m. as the second half of PSAC East play gets underway against the Marauders.
