West Chester University Men’s soccer team went 1-2 during this week’s games. They played Caldwell College on Monday, Mercyhurst University on Friday, and Gannon University on Saturday. They lost 3-2 in overtime to Caldwell College, they then followed up with a loss to Mercyhurst 3-1, but rallied with an impressive 3-0 win on Saturday against Gannon University.
In the game against Caldwell College, freshman Miguel Ross tied the game up at 2-2 in the 87th minute, sending the game into overtime. However, during the entire second half and overtime period, Caldwell College was exploiting West Chester’s defense and it finally caught up with them when Haakon Sulheim scored the winning goal only 2:46 into the overtime period. John Frederick was the other Golden Ram scoring for West Chester, when he netted a goal midway through the second half to tie the game 1-1.
In the second game of the week, on Friday, against Mercyhurst, the men were outmatched in a tough 3-1 loss, still failing to win the first game for new coach, Michael Benn. Mercyhurst controlled the tempo of the entire first half, and they finally cashed in the 40th minute when Fernando Martinez put it past Golden Ram goalkeeper Ryan Shultz. That goal then carried over into the second half when Danny Deakins scored twice before the ten minute mark. Twice the Golden Rams were close in making this a more competitive game, when Christian Benner hit the post in the 17th minute, and Roberto Silva put it in the back of the net, but it was called back for offsides. The only goal for West Chester was by Cameron Scott on a feed from Wyatt Dungan in the 72nd minute.
In the final game of the week on Saturday the men took on Gannon University, determined to get the first win of the season and the first win for their new coach. They came firing right out of the gate. Connor Malarney scored in the 2nd minute on a feed from Tommy Ryan. He then added another goal of his own in the 35th minute from Kevin McCann, and West Chester took a 2-0 lead into halftime. In the first couple of minutes of the second half, Christian Benner added another goal for the Golden Rams. Goalkeeper, Ryan Schultz, had four saves and recorded his first shutout and first collegiate win. West Chester did hold on to win this game 3-0. The Michael Benn era at West Chester has finally begun. This was the first win for him, the first win for the team this year, and as previously stated, a first win for Ryan Schultz. This win got the camel off their backs, and now they will look forward to playing at Lock Haven on Wednesday at 2 p.m. West Chester is now 1-2-1, while Lock Haven is 2-1, outscoring their opponents 10-2 in their two wins.
When Michael Benn was asked about how he felt about the game he said, “I was very pleased with how we played; it was a complete team win. I was happy with the effort we put forth against a very good team. Especially coming back off a tough defeat 24 hours ago.” Hopefully this is the first of many wins for the new coach, and the West Chester University Golden Rams Men’s soccer team.
Ryan Calpin is a second year student majoring in communications with a minor in jounralism. He can be reached at RC784188@wcupa.edu.
Thu. Apr 25th, 2024
