Men’s soccer suffered a 1-0 double-overtime loss to Philadelphia University (2-1) this week in a non-conference game.Ryan Purnell beat WCU goalkeeper Kevin Marron off an assist from Travis Lobb for Philadelphia University’s game-winning goal in the 102nd minute.
The loss gave the Golden Rams their third consecutive defeat, each by a score of 1-0, and dropped their overall record to 2-3.
Peter Weiss started in goal for the Rams and notched a first-half shutout with six saves. Garrett Bleiler held the scoreless tie for an additional 23 minutes in the second half. Marron made five saves during his nearly 35 minutes in goal.
Philadelphia University claimed a decisive advantage in shots by doubling up WCU 20-10. They also put 13 on goal to only seven for the Rams, all of which were stopped by Philadelphia University goalie Alex Heston.
This is a consistent theme for the team as the offense struggled mightily for the third game in a row.
According to school athletic records, through the first two games of the season WCU racked up 24 shots and put a remarkable 19 of those on goal (shots the goalie must save). Their two opponents managed 19 shots with 13 on goal. These results led to a 10-3 goal differential for the Rams and a 2-0 record.
The last three games have proved much more difficult. The team took 18 shots and put 11 on goal. Meanwhile opponents took a whopping 45 shots and fired 28 of them on the goal. In this span West Chester scored zero goals while opponents netted three.
Rams’ goalkeepers allow less than two goals per game on average this season, but with the aforementioned lack of shots, this effort has been in vain.
WCU will look to its leaders, such as senior forwards Ricky Williamson and Zac Tassone, to try to get the team scoring again and back in the win column.
Correcting these mistakes quickly will be of the utmost importance in upcoming Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) game versus East Stroudsburg at home on Tuesday Sept. 25 and at Bloomsburg on Saturday Sept. 25.
Travis Pearson is a fourth-year student majoring in English. He can be reached at TP651537@wcupa.edu.