MSOC vs. Seton Hill 9-10-22
Bryce Dolak

Men's Soccer Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Streaking Golden Knights Continue PSAC Play at Pitt-Johnstown

GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (6-2-1, 1-0-1 PSAC West) at PITT-JOHNSTOWN MOUNTAIN CATS (1-4-1, 0-2-0 PSAC West)
DATE/TIME: Wednesday, September 28, 2022 | 4:00 p.m.
STADIUM/LOCATION: Pitt-Johnstown Soccer Field l Johnstown, Pa.
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THE GANNON-PITT-JOHNSTOWN SERIES
Gannon leads 9-0-1
Last Meeting: Oct. 27, 2021 – Gannon 3, UPJ 3  2ot | RECAP
In a series that first began in 2013, Gannon has never lost to Pitt-Johnstown, but the Mountain Cats certainly put a scare into the Golden Knights in the last meeting between the two. The Golden Knights jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Joe Knox (Gold Coast, Australia/The Southport School) and Peter Wagner (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) only to see the Mountain Cats score three straight goals and take a 3-2 lead. Sergio Del Castillo (Madrid, Spain) evened the score in the 78th minute and the Golden Knights got out of Johnstown with a tie. The first meeting was also a tight affair with Knox scoring the lone goal in the 12th minute and Maximiliano Rocco (Florence, S.C./) making it stand up for a 1-0 win at McConnell Family Stadium.
 
ERIE, Pa. – With Sergio Del Castillo (Madrid, Spain) on an incredible scoring pace Gannon looks to stay undefeated in the PSAC West when the Golden Knights play at Pitt-Johnstown on Wednesday, September 28. Gannon has now won three straight matches to improve to 6-2-1 overall while UPJ enters with a 1-4-1 record.

Gannon moved to 1-0-1 in PSAC West action with a 2-0 win at Pitt-Johnstown on Saturday. UPJ, meanwhile, was falling to Mercyhurst 4-0 at the same time. That left the Mountain Cats at 0-2-0 in league play. Gannon was the preseason co-favorite in the PSAC West while UPJ was picked to finish sixth.

The Golden Knights need only look at last year to not take Pitt-Johnstown too lightly. They were lucky to get out of Johnstown with a 3-3 tie in late October after holding off the Mountain Cats 1-0 earlier in the year.

Pitt-Johnstown must find a way to slow down Del Castillo. The senior midfielder has been on an incredible scoring run with 10 goals in the last three matches. He scored three goals in a 6-2 win over Wheeling, followed by another hat trick, this time a career-best five-goal effort, in a 12-1 thrashing of D'Youville. He accounted for both of Gannon's goals at Slippery Rock.

Del Castillo's hot streak has propelled him into the national lead in scoring with 13 goals and two assists for 28 points. He was named the PSAC West Men's Soccer Athlete of the Week award after totaling seven goals last week, while teammate Bautista Corti (Manuel Alberti, Argentina/Adultos 2000) was selected the PSAC West Men's Soccer Defensive Athlete of the Week Award for the second time this season and the fourth time of his career.

The Golden Knights will complete a stretch of three straight PSAC West contests on Saturday, October 1 with a Homecoming match vs. California (Pa.) at McConnell Family Stadium. The match gets underway at 7:30 p.m.
 
Last Time Out
Gannon picked up its first PSAC West win of the season with a 2-0 shutout of Slippery Rock on Saturday. Sergio De Castillo accounted for both goals within a two-minute period late in the first half. The first came at 36:28 off a pass from Toby Gower (Norwich, England/Long Stratton), and the second was a penalty kick at 38:38. David Synstelien (Gjovik, Norway/Gjovik Vinderegaende) had one save while recording his second career shutout in goal Gannon outshot SRU 17-6.

UPJ hosted Mercyhurst on Saturday and lost a 4-0 decision to the Lakers. The Mountain Cats battled Mercyhurst to a scoreless tie in the first half but were outshot 21-0 in the second half. For the game Mercyhurst held a 31-5 advantage in shots. \
 
Golden Knights to Watch
Senior midfielder Sergio Del Castillo (Madrid, Spain) is leading the country in scoring with 13 goals and two assists for 28 points, eclipsing his 2021 goals total when he scored 12 times along with four assists. He leads Division II in both goals and points scored. He has scored 10 goals with an assist in his last three matches. The native of Spain now has 98 career points on 42 goals and 14 assists. He has moved into a tie for eighth in career goals and stands 11th in career points. Del Castillo earned plenty of postseason accolades, culminated by a spot on the United Soccer Coaches All-American Third Team. An outstanding student, he also earned CoSIDA and United Soccer Coaches Academic All-American honors.

Benjamin Querling (Zuelpich, Germany/Emil-Fischer Gymnasium), a junior forward, has five goals and an assist to stand second on the team in points with 11. Joe Knox (Gold Coast, Australia/The Southport School) adds three goals and nine other Golden Knights have a goal apiece. Freshman midfielder Sverre Orten (Orsta, Norway/Aalesund vgs), senior midfielder/forward Tinashe Katsande (Norwich, England/Dereham Sixth Form College) and redshirt freshman defender Pau Ferrer (Valencia, Spain/ISES Isabel de Villena) lead the team with three assists apiece.
 
Del Castillo is one of four returning Golden Knights to earn All-PSAC West accolades. Sophomore defender Bautista Corti (Manuel Alberti, Argentina/Adultos 2000) was named the 2021 PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Year along with earning first-team all-conference honors as a freshman. Knox, a midfielder/forward, is a third returning first-team selection after finishing with five goals and a pair of assists for 12 points. Midfielder Toby Gower (Norwich, England/Long Stratton) was a second-team All-PSAC West honoree.

David Synstelien (Gjovik, Norway/Gjovik Vinderegaende) recently turned aside three shots to lead Gannon to a 1-0 win over Wilmington. It represented the first career shutout for the junior from Norway. He registered his second on Saturday at Slippery Rock. He appeared in 11 matches the previous two years before taking over as the full-time starter this season. He had played every minute in goal before coming out in the 73rd minute at D'Youville. He owns a 1.24 GAA and .722 save percentage.
 
Scouting Pitt-Johnstown
Pitt-Johnstown was picked to finish sixth in the PSAC West in the coaches' preseason poll after going 1-12-3 a year ago. Despite that they gave the Golden Knights fits in two matches. The Mountain Cats picked up a 5-1 win last Tuesday for their first win. They come in at 1-4-1 overall and 0-2-0 in the PSAC West with a 4-1 loss to Slippery Rock and a 4-0 loss to Mercyhurst. UPJ has scored seven goals while allowing 14. Evan Ulrich is the lone Mountain Cat with multiple goals with a pair.
 
Next for the Golden Knights
Gannon plays the third of its three straight PSAC West contests on Saturday, October 1 while also playing at home after three straight road matches. The Golden Knights will host California (Pa.) on Homecoming in a match that gets underway at 7:30 p.m. at McConnell Family Stadium.
 
 
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Players Mentioned

Maximiliano Rocco

#73 Maximiliano Rocco

GK
6' 2"
Graduate Student
Bautista Corti

#5 Bautista Corti

D
6' 2"
Sophomore
Sergio Del Castillo

#10 Sergio Del Castillo

M
5' 11"
Senior
Toby Gower

#8 Toby Gower

M
5' 9"
Senior
Tinashe Katsande

#7 Tinashe Katsande

M/F
6' 2"
Senior
Joe Knox

#9 Joe Knox

M/F
6' 1"
Graduate Student
International Management
Benjamin Querling

#11 Benjamin Querling

F
6' 1"
Junior
Peter Wagner

#14 Peter Wagner

D/M
6' 2"
Sophomore
Sverre Orten

#23 Sverre Orten

M
5' 8"
Freshman
Business Administration 
Pau Ferrer

#4 Pau Ferrer

D
5' 9"
Redshirt Freshman
Computer Science

Players Mentioned

Maximiliano Rocco

#73 Maximiliano Rocco

6' 2"
Graduate Student
GK
Bautista Corti

#5 Bautista Corti

6' 2"
Sophomore
D
Sergio Del Castillo

#10 Sergio Del Castillo

5' 11"
Senior
M
Toby Gower

#8 Toby Gower

5' 9"
Senior
M
Tinashe Katsande

#7 Tinashe Katsande

6' 2"
Senior
M/F
Joe Knox

#9 Joe Knox

6' 1"
Graduate Student
International Management
M/F
Benjamin Querling

#11 Benjamin Querling

6' 1"
Junior
F
Peter Wagner

#14 Peter Wagner

6' 2"
Sophomore
D/M
Sverre Orten

#23 Sverre Orten

5' 8"
Freshman
Business Administration 
M
Pau Ferrer

#4 Pau Ferrer

5' 9"
Redshirt Freshman
Computer Science
D