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Lotocki Two Goals Leads ESU to PSAC Record Sixth-Straight Men's Soccer Crown
November
10, 2002
East Stroudsburg, Pa. - Mike Lotocki found the net two times as he led the East Stroudsburg Warriors to a dominating performance in winning their Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference record sixth-straight men's soccer championship Sunday afternoon. Lotocki was voted the PSAC Championship Most Valuable Plyaer after scoring the first and last goals as the Warriors shutout the Millersville Marauders 4-0 for the program's PSAC best 16th title, sixth in a row and 10th in the last 11 years.
ESU, who improves to 16-1-2 on the season, will take their show to the NCAA Division II playoffs for the sixth year in a row. The team will find out on Monday morning their first round opponent in the 16-team NCAA playoff field. The Marauders wrap up their season at 13-3-4. Millersville goes to 0-4 in the PSAC championship contests with their last appearance coming in a 1-0 defeat in 1998 to the same Warrior team.
Lotocki (Langhorne, Pa.) kicked off the scoring at 24:44 on a great individual effort. The ball was played down the right side line and the senior midfielder fought off two defenders to play the ball and boot a hard 15-yard scoring strike into the upper right corner of the goal.
ESU extended their advantage less than three minutes later when Jason Cropper (D'Abadie, Trinidad) was taken down in the box to set up a penalty kick. All-American Sean Stewart (St. Elizabeth, Jamaica) stepped up and faked left and found the net on the right side to extend the score to 2-0.
The Warriors picked up a final tally in the first half. Tom Mustac (West Milford, NJ) passed to Wesley Gayle (St. Elizabeth, Jamaica) in the center of the field and Gayle kicked a hard leftfooted shot from just over 25 yards into the lower right corner of the goal for a 3-0 halftime score.
Lotocki added an insurance score early in the second half. He took a pass from the right wing off the foot of Joey Piscopo (Spotswood, NJ) and punched the ball into the far left corner to bring the contest to the final score of 4-0.
The Warriors bettered Millersville in every area after the two teams battled to a double overtime scoreless tie, 0-0, in their regular season meeting. ESU outshot the Marauders 15-10 as goalie Bill Sterner recorded his eighth shutout of the season saving three shots while the defense has now allowed only 13 goals in 19 matches.
Millersville goalie Ryan Schlegel stopped six Warriors attempts in net for the Marauders.
PSAC
Championship
Millersville (13-3-4) 0-0 0
East Stroudsburg (15-1-2) 3-1 4
Scoring
ESU
- Mike Lotocki (unassisted) 24:44
ESU - Sean Stewart (Penalty Kick) 28:12
ESU
- Wesley Gayle (Tom Mustac) 44:35
ESU - Lotocki (Joey Piscopo) 50:52
Goalies
MILL
- Ryan Schlegel (90 min.) 6 saves
ESU - Bill Sterner (76:30 min.) 3 saves
Dan Frick (13:30 min.) 1 save
Shots: MILL 10, ESU 15
Corners: MILL 3,
ESU 2