Men's Soccer |
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ESU Edges West Chester, 1-1, 4-2 on Penalty Kicks,
to Advance to NCAA Division II Soccer Quarter-Finals
WEST CHESTER – For the second time in three years, East Stroudsburg University advanced to the quarter-finals of the NCAA Division II soccer tournament Sunday and just like two years ago, it came on penalty kicks.
The Warriors outlasted West Chester, 1-1, 4-2 on penalty kicks, to capture the NCAA Northeast Regional title. In 2000, ESU beat Dowling, 1-1, 3-2, on penalty kicks in the regional championship game.
And the same opponent will await Coach Jerry Sheska’s team in the quarter-finals. The Warriors, ranked eighth in the latest NCAA Division II national poll, will face the Southern New Hampshire University, the New England champion, next weekend at a site to be announced today for a berth in the NCAA Division II Final Four scheduled Dec. 6-8 in Virginia Beach, Va.
Southern New Hampshire, ranked 11th in the nation, upset second-ranked Southern Connecticut University, 1-0, in the New England regional title game Saturday.
Two years ago, ESU trounced the then-named New Hampshire College, 4-2, to gain a berth in the Final Four. They then lost to Barry College, 2-1, in the semis.
The Warriors, which won its sixth straight Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference title last weekend, battled from behind after West Chester took a 1-0 lead in the 39th minute. Chris Villaronga scored the goal on a rebound off Rich Chandler’s shot which bounced off the cross bar.
The Golden Rams clung to the 1-0 lead despite playing with only ten men from the 50th minute on after Villaronga received a red card.
With 15 minutes left, ESU’s Tom Mustac tied the score, booting the ball past a sprawling goalie Andrew Shafer, who had fallen in the mud after trying to make a save. The ball squirted to Mustac, who connected for his 14th goal of the season.
ESU kept the ball in West Chester’s end of the field the rest of regulation and through two overtimes, but couldn’t put in the game-winner. That set up the penalty kick situation.
West Chester went first and Jeremy Miller sailed the ball over the cross bars. Jorge Chapoy gave ESU a 1-0 lead driving one on the ground past Shafer.
Both teams made their second and third shots, Matt Christman and Ryan Sekkes, both left-footed kickers for the Rams, and Bob Harkins on a chip shot and Mike Lotocki on the grounder for ESU.
Behind 3-2, West Chester’s Matt Johnson placed a shot to the lower left, but ESU goalie Matt Sterner dove to his right and literally caught the ball between his knees for the save. The Warriors’ Kamar Samuels then finished it off with a line shot into the left hand side of the nets for the victory.
Chapoy made a big defensive play during the second half when he raced back down the field to block the ball with his body on a shot by Mark Lawrence at a wide-open goal.
The penalty kicks and most of the contest were played in a pouring rain with much of the field mud covered.
The Warriors had a 12-10 edge in shots. Sterner was forced to make only three saves, not including overtime, while Shafer had eight stops.
Under new NCAA rules, the game goes into the book as a victory for the Warriors and lifts the team’s record to 17-1-2. That is one shy of the school record for wins, 18, set by the 1994 squad which finished 18-4.
The one loss is the team’s least under Sheska, who has guided the squad for 20 years and into 12 NCAA tournaments. His 1989 team only dropped three games in finishing 17-3-3.
West Chester dropped its second straight penalty kick decision and wound up 14-5-3. The Rams bowed to Millersville, 4-3, on penalty kicks in the PSAC semi-finals.
ESU had won the regular-season meeting between the two teams, 2-1. West Chester, ranked 16th in the nation, was awarded the top seed for the region title game, however, on what the NCAA selection committee termed was a better strength of schedule.
East Stroudsburg 0-1-0-0 + 4 1+4
West Chester 1-0-0-0 + 2 1+2
WC – Chris Villaronga (Rich Chandler), 38:56
ES – Tom Mustac (unassisted), 75:06
Penalty Kicks: WC – Jeremy Miller miss, ES – Jorge Chapoy good, WC – Matt Christman good, ES – Bob Harkins good, WC-Ryan Sekkes good, ES – Mike Lotocki good, WC – Matt Johnson miss, ES – Kamar Samuels good.
Shots: ESU 12, West Chester 10; Goalie Saves: ES – Bill Sterner 3, WC – Andrew Shafer
Records:
ESU 17-1-2, West Chester 14-5-3