DAVID SYNSTELIEN vs. Wilmington
Bryce Dolak

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

Gannon Looks to Keep Winning Streak Alive in Homecoming Match vs. California (Pa.)

CALIFORNIA (PA) VULCANS (1-5-1, 0-3-0 PSAC West) AT GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (7-2-1, 2-0-1 PSAC West)
HOMECOMING
DATE/TIME: Saturday, October 1, 2022 | 7:30 p.m.
STADIUM/LOCATION: McConnell Family Stadium l Erie, Pa.
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THE GANNON-CAL (PA) SERIES
Gannon leads 19-7-0
Last Meeting: Oct. 23, 2021 – Gannon 1, Cal (Pa.) 0 | RECAP
Gannon swept both of last year's meetings, albeit by a goal each time, and has now won three matches in a row against the Vulcans and seven of the last eight in a series that first began in 1989. The last meeting featured downpours of lake effect rain and one goal, that by Joe Knox (Gold Coast, Australia/The Southport School) in the sixth minute.
 
ERIE, Pa. – Gannon hosts California (Pa.) in a PSAC West match on Homecoming. The Saturday, October 1 contest gets underway at 7:30 p.m. at McConnell Family Stadium as the Golden Knights seek their fifth straight win. They improved to 7-2-1 overall and 2-0-1 in the PSAC West with a 5-0 win at Pitt-Johnstown. The Vulcans are 1-5-1 and 0-3-0 respectively and hope to end a three-game losing skid.

Gannon had been riding the incredible scoring spree of Sergio Del Castillo (Madrid, Spain) in recent games, but on Wednesday the senior midfielder was limited to an assist. Freshman Sverre Orten (Orsta, Norway/Aalesund vgs) scored twice and Bautista Corti (Manuel Alberti, Argentina/Adultos 2000), Joe Knox (Gold Coast, Australia/The Southport School), and Layton Bingham (Gold Coast, Australia/The Southport School) scored for the Golden Knights, who have outscored their last four opponents 25-3.

While Castillo only had an assist at UPJ, it has been an impressive week for the native of Spain. He was named the PSAC West Athlete of the Week for the second time this year earlier in the week, and on Wednesday was selected the United Soccer Coaches Division II Men's Soccer Player of the Week. He entered the UPJ contest leading the country in goals and points and currently has 13 goals and three assists for 29 points.

Gannon was voted the preseason co-favorite in the PSAC West while California (Pa.) was picked to finish fifth. Gannon head coach Billy Colton is in his fourth year and has an impressive 44-11-4 record.

The California (Pa.) match is the first of four straight games at McConnell Family Stadium over the next two weeks.
 
Last Time Out
Gannon started off slow but picked up steam while dominating Pitt-Johnstown 5-0. The Golden Knights led just 1-0 at the half before scoring four times in the second half, including twice in the final minute. Freshman Sverre Orten (Orsta, Norway/Aalesund vgs) scored twice while Bautista Corti (Manuel Alberti, Argentina/Adultos 2000), Joe Knox (Gold Coast, Australia/The Southport School) and Layton Bingham (Gold Coast, Australia/The Southport School) each scored a goal. Samuel Alarcon (Madrid, Spain/Colegio el Valle II), a freshman from Spain, made his first appearance in goal for the Golden Knights. He did not make a save while playing all 90 minutes. Gannon outshot UPJ 33-3.

California (Pa.) last played on Saturday, September 24, suffering a 4-1 loss to Seton Hill. The Vulcans have now lost three straight games, scoring just once in that span.
 
Golden Knights to Watch
Senior midfielder Sergio Del Castillo (Madrid, Spain) is leading the country in scoring with 13 goals and three assists for 29 points, eclipsing his 2021 goals total when he scored 12 times along with four assists. He had scored 10 goals with an assist in the previous three matches before being limited to an assist at Pitt-Johnstown. The native of Spain now has 99 career points on 42 goals and 15 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. This week he was named the United Soccer Coaches Division II Men's Soccer Player of the Week after earlier being named the PSAC West Athlete of the Week.

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 four goals and freshman midfielder Sverre Orten (Orsta, Norway/Aalesund vgs) has three goals and three assists.
 
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. Freshman Samuel Alarcon (Madrid, Spain/Colegio el Valle II) was in goal at UPJ and registered his first career shutout.
 
Scouting California (Pa.)
California (Pa.) was picked to finish fifth in the PSAC West in the coaches' preseason poll after going 4-10-2 a year ago. The Vulcans come in looking to end a three-game losing streak in which they have scored one goal. They have a 1-5-1 record and are 0-3-0 in the PSAC West. They registered a 1-0 shutout of Lock Haven in their second match and tied Ohio Dominican 2-2. They look to snap a three-game losing streak in which they have scored just one run. For the season Cal has just four goals with four different players scoring a goal each.
 
Next for the Golden Knights
The California (Pa.) match begins a four-game homestand for Gannon. It continues on Wednesday, October 5 as Gannon celebrates Senior Day while hosting Daemen. It will mark the final non-conference match of the season as Gannon concludes the regular season with six straight PSAC West matches. The Daemen contest will get underway at 7:00 p.m. at McConnell Family Stadium.
 
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Players Mentioned

Layton Bingham

#29 Layton Bingham

D
6' 2"
Redshirt Senior
International Management
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
Joe Knox

#9 Joe Knox

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

#11 Benjamin Querling

F
6' 1"
Junior
Samuel Alarcon

#1 Samuel Alarcon

GK
6' 0"
Freshman
Cyber Engineering
Sverre Orten

#23 Sverre Orten

M
5' 8"
Freshman
Business Administration 

Players Mentioned

Layton Bingham

#29 Layton Bingham

6' 2"
Redshirt Senior
International Management
D
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
Joe Knox

#9 Joe Knox

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

#11 Benjamin Querling

6' 1"
Junior
F
Samuel Alarcon

#1 Samuel Alarcon

6' 0"
Freshman
Cyber Engineering
GK
Sverre Orten

#23 Sverre Orten

5' 8"
Freshman
Business Administration 
M