THE RUNDOWN
Final Score: Gannon 2, West Chester 1 – OT
Records: GU (17-1-0), WCU (14-4-1)
Location: Pucillo Field | Millersville, Pa.
The Short Story: For the second time in just over a week,
Sergio Del Castillo (Madrid, Spain) scored a late equalizer, and the Gannon men's soccer team once again capitalized with an overtime victory, this time coming in the PSAC semifinals against West Chester on a bitterly cold Friday night at West Chester.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
- An early West Chester corner was punched away by Gannon keeper Chandler Hallwood (Halifax, England/Woodhouse Grove) to get things going and a few more shots from the Golden Rams in the first four minutes didn't prove too threatening. The Golden Knights got their first chance in the 18th minute, as Lennox Crews (Offenbach, Germany/Leibnizschule) sent a cross to the far post for Del Castillo, who tapped it onto the goal line before the WCU keeper came to the rescue.
- The recently named PSAC West Freshman of the Year had another similar shot a few minutes later, but pushed it just wide as Gannon continued to up the pressure. Del Castillo put two more attempts on goal in the next few minutes, and James Randall (Brampton, Ontario/Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School) got his head on a corner in the 29th, with his shot glancing off the crossbar.
- An incredible effort from the Gannon defense after a West Chester free kick kept the game scoreless, as Hallwood came up with the initial save, blocked another shot, and then saw defenders Chad Barrick (Gahanna, Ohio/Gahanna Lincoln) and Austin Ludwik (Gold Coast, Australia/The Southport School) deflect shots with seven minutes to go in the half. Another opportunity a few minutes later allowed the Rams to go in front before the half though, as a corner dropped to the ground and skipped out to a crashing player who snuck it inside the near post.
- West Chester stayed aggressive early in the second half, forcing a save from Hallwood in the 57th minute and picking up a number of corners and restarts. Gannon would get some chances, including a header from Barrick off a corner that was blocked by a defender as the clock neared 20 minutes to play.
- With the Rams settling in looking to maintain its lead late, Gannon started to mount more pressure, continually lofting the ball into the box even if its own player didn't manage to get a clear shot on it. That pattern proved fruitful when a throw-in from Alex Lee Yaw (Jamestown, N.Y./Mercyhurst Prep) was headed out by a defender, but right to Del Castillo, who took a big left-footed crack that found the upper left corner of the goal to tie it with 4:26 to play.
- A flurry of action early in overtime saw two shots for West Chester, but the Gannon back line again stood up. Fresh legs that entered late in regulation in Joe Knox (Gold Coast, Australia/The Southport School) and Ben Andrews (Saxonburg, Pa./Knoch) provided a spark, and that duo paired up for the game-winner in the 97th minute. Andrews corralled a pass about 35 yards out, and with a quick touch sent it to Knox, who crossed up a defender to create space and buried it from the top of the box to cap it.
GAME NOTES
- Del Castillo also scored the late tying goal in the Golden Knights' comeback Nov. 13 at Mercyhurst. The freshman has four goals and two assists in his last three games, and has netted a point in eight straight.
- The victory was the fourth overtime win for Gannon this season, which is a perfect 4-0-0 when games hit extra time.
- Friday was the sixth time this season that the Knights have come from behind to win.
- Gannon is headed to the PSAC championship for the second time in three years after making the 2017 final.
- With the victory, the Golden Knights now have the most wins in a season since the 1989 team that reached the NCAA semifinals and finished 18-3-1.
UP NEXT
- Gannon will take on host Millersville on Sunday afternoon in the PSAC championship game.
- The 1 p.m. kickoff will feature live video and live stats.
- The Marauders, the top seed out of the East, earned a 2-1 victory over Mercyhurst in Friday's first semifinal, and are the defending PSAC tournament champions after topping West Chester on PKs last season.
- Gannon pulled out a thrilling 2-1 victory at Millersville on Sept. 25 of this season to take a slim 7-6-0 lead in the all-time series. The two sides met in the 2017 PSAC semis, where the Knights took a 2-0 decision.
