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

Match Preview: No. 19 Gannon Plays First of Two at Home Hosting Lock Haven

LOCK HAVEN BALD EAGLES (2-4-3, 0-3-2 PSAC East) at No. 19 GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (8-0-1, 2-0-0 PSAC West) 
DATE/TIME: Wednesday, October 4, 2023 | 4:00 p.m.
STADIUM/LOCATION: McConnell Family Stadium l Erie, Pa.
LIVE STATS
LIVE VIDEO
 
THE GANNON-LOCK HAVEN SERIES
Gannon leads 16-15-3
Last Meeting: Nov. 12, 2021 – PSAC Semifinals: Gannon 1, Lock Haven 0 | RECAP
Gannon advanced to the PSAC Championship game with a 1-0 win over No. 21 Lock Haven in the semifinals held at Mercyhurst. The Golden Knights scored 54 seconds into the match when Peter Wagner's (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) crossing pass was headed in by Sergio Del Castillo (Madrid, Spain). The Gannon defense made the goal stand up for its eighth shutout of the season. The Golden Knights outshot the Bald Eagles 19-10 as Maximiliano Rocco had three saves in goal.
 
ERIE, Pa. – Gannon will take a break from PSAC West action for a non-conference match against Lock Haven on Wednesday, October 4. It's the first of two home games at McConnell Family Stadium and is scheduled for a 4:00 p.m. start.

Gannon has been riding high since suffering its lone blemish of the season, a 1-1 tie at Saginaw Valley State that wrapped up an arduous four-game road trip. Since then the Golden Knights shocked tenth-ranked Mercyhurst 5-1 before putting another five goals on the board in a 5-0 win at California (Pa.) on Saturday.

The Golden Knights were ranked 19th in last week's United Soccer Coaches Top 25 and are 8-0-1 overall and 2-0-0 in the Western Division. Lock Haven, meanwhile, dropped to 2-4-3 and 0-3-2 in Eastern Division action after suffering a 3-1 loss at West Chester on Saturday. 

Gannon will likely move up in the rankings, which come out later Tuesday, following an impressive week. It solidified head coach Billy Colton's scheduling, loading the Gannon schedule with long and tough road contests to start the season. The Mercyhurst match was the first at home since September 6.

After that the Golden Knights played four matches on the road with three of those vs. NCAA Division II Tournament teams. All told the round trips totaled close to 3,000 yards, and Gannon came away with wins over Ashland (3-1) and St. Rose (1-0) along with a 1-1 tie at Saginaw Valley State. The Mercyhurst match was the fourth against an NCAA playoff team. 

Last Time Out
For the second match in a row Gannon found the back of the net five times as Gannon won 5-0 at California (Pa.) on Saturday. The Golden Knights took a quick 2-0 lead less than three minutes apart, as Tinashe Katsande (Norwich, England/Dereham Sixth Form College) scored in the 14th minute and Rafa Hyde (São José dos Campos, Brazil) made it 2-0 early in the 17th minute. James Pool (Hastings, England/Claverham) scored the next two goals, one midway through the first half and the second at 80:37. Samuel Burton (Vantaa, Finland/Makelanrinteen Lukio) capped the win with a goal two minutes later. Samuel Alarcon (Madrid, Spain/Colegio el Valle II) recorded five saves for his second shutout of the season.

Head Coach: Billy Colton is in his fifth season as Gannon's head men's soccer coach in 2023, and his ninth year overall as a member of the staff. He owns a 58-14-6 record with the Golden Knights making the NCAA Division II Tournament in 2019 and 2022. (NOTE: The NCAA did not hold a tournament in 2020 due to COVID-19). It marked the first time Gannon's men's soccer team made consecutive NCAA Tournaments since 1989-90. Colton guided Gannon to a 13-5-2 finish in 2022, picking up his 50th career victory with a 4-3 win over Seton Hill in the PSAC Tournament quarterfinals. He is the second-fastest coach to 50 wins in Gannon annals, exceeded only by Rob Russo who won 60 matches in his first four seasons. However, Colton was limited to just six matches in 2020 due to COVID. He was named the PSAC West Coach of the Year in 2018 after leading the Golden Knights to an 18-3-0 finish, the second-best in school history.

Gannon Now 19th in Latest United Soccer Coaches Poll
Gannon debuted in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 in ninth place three weeks ago, then moved up two spots to seventh a week later. A 1-1 tie to a Saginaw Valley State team that was in the NCAA Tournament last year led a drop of 12 spots in the last week's poll, as the Golden Knights dropped to 19th. In addition they are now third in the Atlantic Region after being first the week before.
 
Alarcon Named PSAC Defensive Athlete of the Week for Second Straight Week, Katsande Co-Player of the Week
Thanks to a brilliant effort in goal this past week, Samuel Alarcon (Madrid, Spain/Colegio el Valle II) repeated as the PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Week. In addition, Tinashe Katsande (Norwich, England/Dereham Sixth Form College) was selected as the Co-Athlete of the Week, sharing the honor with Gabin Lonjard of Slippery Rock. Katsande and Alarcon both played a big role in Gannon's 5-1 win over Mercyhurst and 5-0 victory over California (Pa.). Katsande, a graduate student, finished with two goals and three assists while helping the Golden Knights erupt for 10 goals in two games. He opened the scoring against Mercyhurst on Sept. 27 with a goal at the 29:02 mark, and later assisted on a goal. Against Cal on Saturday, Katsande opened the scoring again, striking 13:36 into the game. He added two assists later in the match. Through nine games, Katsande ranks second on the team with four goals and six assists for 14 points. This marks the third time Alarcon has received the honor this season. The sophomore from Spain was brilliant in goal against Mercyhurst as Gannon upset the 10th-ranked Lakers 5-1. The only goal he permitted was on a penalty kick in the final 10 minutes. He recorded a career-high eight saves, including a pair in a key juncture in the second half with Gannon leading 2-0. He stopped a penalty kick by Dylan Sumner, the 2022 PSAC West Athlete of the Year, then stopped a second shot by Sumner when the rebound came back to him. He posted his second shutout with five saves against Cal.

No Problem with Scoring
When the season began the biggest question surrounding Gannon was who would pick up the slack with the loss of All-American Sergio Del Castillo (Madrid, Spain). Del Castillo led Division II in goals last year with 23 and finished with 52 points. Gannon has done just fine without him, thank you. The Golden Knights rank sixth in the country in goals and lead the PSAC with 27. Eleven different players have scored goals, with James Pool (Hastings, England/Claverham) leading the way with seven goals. The redshirt senior had two career goals entering the season. The seven goals lead the PSAC and ranks 12th in Division II. Meanwhile Pau Ferrer (Valencia, Spain/ISES Isabel de Villena) has nine assists to rank among the leaders.  

Scouting Lock Haven
Lock Haven enters Wednesday's match looking to snap a four-game winless stretch following a 3-1 loss at West Chester on Saturday. The setback left the Bald Eagles at 2-4-3 overall and 0-3-2 in Western Division action. Lock Haven has now winless in its last five matches, with back-to-back losses. The Bald Eagles have a pair of ties in that stretch but have been limited to three goals. Head coach Patrick Long's team was picked to finish fifth in the PSAC East preseason poll after going 6-7-5 last year, including 4-4-4 in league play. Tom Pombor and Nick Ritter lead the Bald Eagles with two goals and an assist apiece. Brady Freiwald has seen virtually all of the action in goal and has a 1.24 GAA.

Next for the Golden Knights
Gannon plays the second of back-to-back home games on Saturday, October 7 while returning to PSAC West action. The Golden Knights host Seton Hill in a 7:30 p.m. match.
 
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Players Mentioned

Sergio Del Castillo

#10 Sergio Del Castillo

M
5' 11"
Senior
Samuel Alarcon

#1 Samuel Alarcon

GK
6' 0"
Sophomore
Cyber Engineering
Pau Ferrer

#4 Pau Ferrer

D
5' 9"
Redshirt Sophomore
Computer Science
James Pool

#6 James Pool

M
5' 10"
Redshirt Senior
Peter Wagner

#14 Peter Wagner

D/M
6' 1"
Junior
Samuel Burton

#9 Samuel Burton

M/F
5' 10"
Freshman
Rafa Hyde

#18 Rafa Hyde

F
6' 1"
Freshman
Tinashe Katsande

#7 Tinashe Katsande

F
6' 3"
Graduate Student

Players Mentioned

Sergio Del Castillo

#10 Sergio Del Castillo

5' 11"
Senior
M
Samuel Alarcon

#1 Samuel Alarcon

6' 0"
Sophomore
Cyber Engineering
GK
Pau Ferrer

#4 Pau Ferrer

5' 9"
Redshirt Sophomore
Computer Science
D
James Pool

#6 James Pool

5' 10"
Redshirt Senior
M
Peter Wagner

#14 Peter Wagner

6' 1"
Junior
D/M
Samuel Burton

#9 Samuel Burton

5' 10"
Freshman
M/F
Rafa Hyde

#18 Rafa Hyde

6' 1"
Freshman
F
Tinashe Katsande

#7 Tinashe Katsande

6' 3"
Graduate Student
F