2014 PSAC Men's Soccer Championship: Mercyhurst Wins Title
MERCYHURST WINS SECOND PSAC TITLE IN THREE YEARS
Courtesy of Mercyhurst Sports Information
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Complete Mercyhurst Story
Bloomsburg Story
ERIE, Pa. - Mercyhurst clinched the PSAC Men’s Soccer Championship title with a 5-0 shutout of Bloomsburg on Saturday afternoon at Mercyhurst Soccer Field.
With the win, the Lakers improve to 18-2-0 overall and captured their second PSAC Championship in three years since joining the conference back in 2008. Bloomsburg is now 13-5-2 on the year.
Jack Watson got the Lakers on the board in the 20
th minute when
Ryan Lund put a ball over the Huskies defense. Watson, the Dublin, Ireland native, tracked the pass down and out ran the Bloomsburg defense to beat Huskies' goalkeeper
Jared Ott right side.
Senior
Dane Rimko would send a pass through the defense in the 37
th minute where he found Watson streaking down the right side and put the shot left for a 2-0 halftime lead.
Defender
Sten Marcson, an Onsala, Sweden native, recorded his second goal of this season in the 58
thminute when his shot from the right side went upper right for a 3-0 lead.
Danny Deakin added to his national leading assist total with a cross pass from the right side that found
Fernando Martinez on the left post where he was able to head the ball in for his 12
th goal of the season.
Deakin would record another assist in the 88
th minute on a pass to teammate
Richard Vanhorne, his 10th goal of the season, to finish off the 5-0 victory. Deakin finished the contest at 15 assists, which is leading the nation.
After recording 39 shots in yesterday's contest, the Huskies held the Lakers to just ten, while Bloomsburg had nine. The Huskies held the corner kick advantage, 3-0.
Sophomore goalkeeper
Nicholas Smith received back-to-back wins since coming back from injury. Smith made four saves and received his second shutout, as his record improves to 6-1-0.
Watson was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. He stated three goals over the two game span. He now sits at 22 goals on the year, which also leads the nation.
The 5-0 PSAC Championship win was the largest margin of victory in the title game since 2003 when East Stroudsburg defeated California (Pa.), 5-0. The record for goals in the PSAC Championship game is six.
The NCAA will announce which teams will be competing in the 2014 NCAA Tournament on Monday, November 10 at 7:30 p.m. Watch the selection show live
here.
PSAC SEMIFINALS
Bloomsburg Edges Seton Hill
Erie, Pa. – Bloomsburg defeated Seton Hill 1-0 in the PSAC Championship Semifinals on Friday afternoon at Mercyhurst Soccer Field in order to advance to the PSAC title game.
The Huskies will play No. 1 Mercyhurst for the crown on Saturday, November 8 at 1:30 p.m. at Mercyhurst Soccer Field.
Bloomsburg’s
Anthony Cerda scored the game-winning goal to mark his six goal of the season.
Mike Bamford was credited with the assist, marking his sixth helper on the year.
The Huskies finished with 12 shots, including three on target, while Seton Hill managed nine shots and two on goal.
Goalkeeper
Jared Ott clinched his 12th win of the season and earned his eighth shutout with a pair of saves.
Bloomsburg last played in the league title game in 2011 and fell 1-0 to Millersville. The Huskies are seeking their program’s first PSAC Championship title.
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Bloomsburg Story
Seton Hill Story
Mercyhurst Outlasts West Chester
Erie, Pa. –
Jack Watson’s goal in the 101st minute of the second overtime period lifted No. 1 Mercyhurst to a 2-1 victory over No. 4 West Chester on Friday afternoon in the PSAC Championship Semifinals at Mercyhurst Soccer Field.
Mercyhurst will play No. 2 Bloomsburg for the league title, marking the third straight PSAC title game appearance for the Lakers.
West Chester’s
Tommy Ryan scored the game’s first goal in the 54th minute off a feed from
Christian Benner. However, West Chester couldn’t hang-on to win the game, as a penalty kick opportunity awarded to the Lakers in the 89th minute pushed the game into overtime. Merchurst’s
Danny Deakin converted the penalty kick attempt to knot the game at one apiece just before the end of regulation.
Mercyhurst won the PSAC crown in 2012 with a 1-0 victory against Slippery Rock. The Lakers also played for the title in 2013, falling 3-2 in double overtime to Slippery Rock.
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Mercyhurst Story
West Chester Story
CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW
Erie, Pa. – Mercyhurst is set to host this weekend’s PSAC Men’s Soccer Championship Semifinals and title game for the third straight season.
Mercyhurst received a bye into the semifinals and hosting rights after earning the top seed in the tournament with a 10-1 conference record. In a 2013 PSAC Semifinal rematch, the Lakers are set to face No. 4 West Chester in the semifinals at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, November 7. West Chester defeated Slippery Rock 3-0 in the quarterfinal round.
Earlier this season, West Chester handed Mercyhurst a 2-1 loss, marking its only conference loss and one of two overall. Freshman West Chester goalkeeper
Matt Palmer recorded a career-high 11 saves in that game and leads the PSAC with a .791 save percentage. On offense the Golden Rams are led by a balanced scoring attack, which features 15 players with at least one goal, and 10 with at least one assist.
Tommy Ryan leads the team with six goals this season, including the game-winner in the win against Mercyhurst.
Mercyhurst forward
Jack Watson leads the PSAC in shots (89), shots per game (4.94), points (46), goals (19), game-winning goals (seven), and is second in assists with eight. Additionally, the Lakers have three of the PSAC’s top five point holders in
Danny Deakin (34 points),
Fernando Martinez (29), and Watson.
No. 2 Bloomsburg also received a bye into the semifinals and is set to play Seton Hill on Friday, November 7 at 2:00 p.m. The Griffins blanked No. 6 California 1-0 in the quarterfinal round thanks to
Joe Smith’s first game-winning goal of the season.
In their previous meeting on September 19, Bloomsburg shutout Seton Hill 3-0 as part of a four-game win streak. Three different Huskies scored in the contest; juniors
Nick Izzo,
Matt Zima and senior
Roma Loboda.
It will be a battle of defenses, as both Bloomsburg and Seton Hill are ranked in the top three in the league in goals against average and shutouts. The Huskies’
Jared Ott owns a .914 goals against average with seven shutouts, while the Griffins’
Cameron Evans averages 1.07 and has a league-leading eight shutouts.
Mercyhurst won the PSAC crown in 2012, and is the only semifinal team to have captured a PSAC Championship. The Lakers also played for the title in 2013, falling 3-2 in double overtime to Slippery Rock. West Chester and Bloomsburg have five championship title game appearances between them, with West Chester seeking its first opportunity to play for PSAC hardware since 2004. Bloomsburg last appeared in the title game in 2011 and suffered a 1-0 loss to Millersville. Seton Hill is making its first PSAC Semifinal appearance since joining the league in 2013.
The semifinal winners will play at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 8 at the Mercyhurst Soccer Field.
PSAC QUARTERFINALS
Seton Hill Downs California
Greensburg, Pa. – No. 3 Seton Hill defeated No. 6 California 1-0 in the 2014 PSAC Men’s Soccer Quarterfinals in Greensburg on Tuesday afternoon.
With the victory, Seton Hill advances to play No. 2 Bloomsburg in the Semifinals on Friday at 2 p.m. at Mercyhurst.
Seton Hill’s
Ben Alport notched the game-winner in the 34th minute for his third goal on the year.
The victory is the first PSAC postseason win for the Griffins since joining the league in 2013. Seton Hill appeared in the conference tournament a season ago and fell 2-0 to Millersville.
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Seton Hill Story
California Story
West Chester Advances Past Slippery Rock
West Chester, Pa. – West Chester handed Slippery Rock a 3-0 loss in the 2014 PSAC Men’s Soccer Quarterfinals in West Chester on Tuesday afternoon.
With the victory, West Chester advances to play No. 1 Mercyhurst in the Semifinals on Friday at 11 a.m. in Erie.
Brian Schaefer grabbed his first goal of 2014 and the game-winner in the 65th minute off a
Brett Glasco corner kick.
Alex Lean posted an insurance goal for the Golden Rams in the 77th minute for his fourth mark on the season.
Brett Beaumont was the final Golden Ram to strike, as he put away his first goal of the season off an assist from Glasco in the 86th minute.
West Chester is seeking the program’s first PSAC Championship title and first opportunity to play for the league title since falling 2-0 to Lock Haven in 2004.
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West Chester Story
Slippery Rock Story