West Chester University’s men’s soccer team made school history by defeating University of California-PA to win its first playoff game. The Golden Rams advanced to the championship game against Lock Haven where they suffered an upsetting loss 2-0. The road to the finals began Sunday, Oct. 31 when the Golden Rams defeated theBloomsburg Huskies 3-1. After beginning the season 0-3-1, the Golden Rams rallied back from a 1-0 deficit against Bloomsburg to mark their fourth straight victory in the PSAC and captured the fourth and final playoff berth in the PSAC. Chris Villaronga, Amar Phanda and Matt Christian each scored one goal during the game against the Huskies. The Golden Rams then traveled to Roadman Park to face the University of California-PA. Matt Christian scored two goals in the first half and Bill Harris had two assists as the fourthseeded Golden Rams soared over the top-seeded University of California Vulcans 3-1. This victory was the first playoff win for the Golden Rams in school history. The Golden Rams went into the game with a 0-4-1 all-time PSAC post-season record with only ever scoring two goals. The three goals the Golden Rams scored were another milestone, marking the first time West Chester had scored more than one goal in a playoff game, and actually exceeded the combined total of only two goals scored in the playoffs. This game was also the first game all season in which the Vulcans surrendered three goals.
The Golden Rams defense was a key component in the victory of the Vulcans. The Vulcans had plenty of shots on goal to win the game, but the Golden Rams defenders kicked the attempts away from the goal. This game marked another milestone for the Golden Rams. They tied the school record of 14 wins in a season, with a record of 14-6-1.
The final stop in the PSAC playoffs was the championship game against Lock Haven University. The Lock Haven Bald Eagles scored a single goal in each half of the game to beat the Golden Rams 2-0 Wednesday.
After a slow start to their season, the Golden Rams made an improbable run late in the season with four straight wins to secure a playoff berth in the PSAC playoffs. The Golden Rams finished the season 14-7-1 overall, and made school history in many ways.