ERIE, Pa. – After coming up on the losing end of the local rivalry the past two seasons, the Gannon men's soccer team handed Mercyhurst a 2-0 loss to finish out the 2011 season Saturday afternoon at Gannon University Field.
The win also marks a milestone for head coach Rob van Rheenen, who now has 150 career wins at Gannon. The 15-year head coach holds a .574 career winning percentage as the head coach of the Golden Knights.
The rivalry hasn't been short on excitement the last two years as playoff implications have been on the line during each of the regular-season finales. After Mercyhurst ended Gannon's chances of a berth into the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) tournament last season, it was the Golden Knights who played spoiler this time.
Gannon's 2-0 win over Mercyhurst, coupled with the results from other PSAC matches on Saturday, eliminated the Lakers from the final spot in the PSAC tournament.
Gannon netted the game winner in the 81st minute off the foot of Sean Washek (Fairview, Pa. / Cathedral Prep). The Golden Knights played the ball in quickly off a throw in, allowing Faycal Benjelloun (Rabat, Morocco / Lycee Descartes) to move the ball into the corner. His crossing pass, found a diving Washek in front of the goal who beat the keeper from point-blank range.
The Lakers pressed for the tying goal from there, but Michael Kickel (Erie, Pa. / Cathedral Prep) preserved the lead with a save at the 86:23 mark. Mercyhurst playing up allowed Robbie Bennett (Durban, South Africa / St. Benedict School) to race behind the defense for a breakaway goal with just 31 seconds left in the match. The freshman scored his 12th goal of the season, after the Mercyhurst keeper guessed low, leaving an open net for Bennett.
Kickel provided several spectacular saves during the win including two during the second half. In the 66th minute, a Billy Colton shot appeared to be headed for the back of the net until Kickel made a diving stop to punch the ball away. Kickel finished with seven saves, five coming in the second half. The junior finished with four wins and two shut-outs this season.
Mercyhurst seemed to control the tempo in the first half, out-shooting Gannon 6-1. However, the Golden Knights came out energized after the break, firing seven shots in the second period. It was quality over quantity for Gannon, as the Golden Knights put five of their eight shots on goal compared to 7-of-17 for the Lakers.
The Golden Knights finish the season at 7-9-2 overall with a 3-5-1 mark in the PSAC. Mercyhurst, who was ranked third in the latest NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional Rankings, fell to 10-7 overall and 4-5 in the PSAC.
For a complete box score from today's Gannon-Mercyhurst men's soccer match, please click here.
