Goal Celebration vs. Georgian Court
Jeff Kirik

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

Game Preview: Gannon Wraps Up Three-Game Homestand Hosting Ashland on Wednesday

ASHLAND EAGLES (0-2-0, 0-0-0 GMAC) at GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (2-0-0, 0-0-0 PSAC West)
DATE/TIME: Wednesday, September 6, 2023 | 3:00 p.m.
STADIUM/LOCATION: McConnell Family Stadium l Erie, Pa.
LIVE STATS
LIVE VIDEO
 
 
THE GANNON-ASHLAND SERIES
Gannon leads 12-9-3
Last Meeting: Aug. 31, 2022 – Ashland 1, Gannon 0 | RECAP
The Golden Knights had won back-to-back games in the series before Ashland handed them a 1-0 defeat last year. For almost sixty minutes the two teams battled on even terms, but Ashland would gain the upper hand in the 60th minute as Jack Grove took a header pass from Floris Kluemper and scored on a low shot to the right for the match's lone goal at 59:23. Ashland ended the night with 14 shots compared to nine for the Golden Knights.
 
ERIE, Pa. – Gannon wraps up a three-game homestand to start the 2023 season, hosting reigning Great Midwest Athletic Conference champion Ashland. The Golden Knights opened the season with a pair of hard-earned victories, rallying for a 3-2 win over Georgian Court on Friday, then pulling away late on Sunday for a 3-1 triumph over Goldey-Beacom.

Ashland finished as the GMAC Tournament champion and earned a berth in the NCAA Division II Tournament. The Eagles also opened their season this past weekend with a pair of tough losses. The fell by a 3-1 score to No. 5 Charleston (WV) on Friday before suffering a 3-2 setback to Millersville.

Gannon was selected as the PSAC West co-favorite along with crosstown rival Mercyhurst after finishing the 2022 campaign at 12-5-3. The Golden Knights advanced to the PSAC Tournament semifinals before dropping a 3-2 decision to Bloomsburg. Gannon was left out of the NCAA Tournament after two straight appearances.

Ashland, meanwhile, was picked third in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference preseason poll after claiming the GMAC Tournament championship a year ago. The Eagles finished at 12-7-1, suffering a 3-2 loss to Parkside in the NCAA regional second round.

Following the Ashland contest Gannon hits the road for four straight games, not returning to McConnell Family Stadium for a showdown with Mercyhurst on September 27.  The road trip begins on Saturday, September 9 at Wilmington (Del.).

Last Time Out
Gannon opened the season with home matches on Friday and Sunday. The Golden Knights edged Georgian Court 3-2 in the opener then pulled away from Goldey-Beacom for a 3-1 win in the latter contest. Georgian Court grabbed a 1-0 lead at the half before a goal by Tinashe Katsande (Norwich, England/Dereham Sixth Form College) at 62:59 evened the match at 1-1. Less than five minutes later Gannon claimed its first lead at 2-1 on a James Pool (Hastings, England/Claverham) goal, but 61 seconds later the match was tied at 2-2 thanks to a Goldey Beacom goal. Pau Ferrer (Valencia, Spain/ISES Isabel de Villena) would account for the winning goal off an assist from Rafa Hyde. Sunday's match saw the Golden Knights score twice in the first 25 minutes for a 2-0 halftime lead. Hyde scored his first career goal as a Golden Knight and Pool followed with his second goal of the season. Goldey Beacom cut the deficit to 2-1 with a goal three minutes into the second half. Herman Aanberg (Hamar, Norway/Wang Toppidrett Oslo) found the back of the net for an insurance goal with 15 minutes remaining.

Ashland faced a pair of strong opponents while also opening at home. They debuted with a 3-1 loss to fifth-ranked Charleston (WV) with Oliver Whaley scoring the lone goal on a penalty kick. On Sunday Ashland suffered a 3-2 loss to Millersville. The Eagles took a 2-1 lead on back-to-back goals by Sam Jordan and Rodrigo Fernandez, the latter in the 80th minute. But Millersville knotted the game at 2-2 just over two minutes later and scored the winning goal in the 87th minute.

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 51-14-5 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.

Four All-PSAC West Performers Return
The Golden Knight lineup features four returning All-PSAC West performers, including Pau Ferrer (Valencia, Spain/ISES Isabel de Villena), the reigning PSAC West Freshman of the Year. He contributed four goals and five assists for 13 points. Ferrer is part of a strong back line that also showcases Bautista Corti (Manuel Alberti, Argentina/Adultos 2000). The junior is a two-time All-PSAC West first team honoree and was the Western Division Defensive Player of the Year in 2021. He has 44 career starts. Midfielders Herman Aanberg (Hamar, Norway/Wang Toppidrett Oslo) and Sverre Orten (Orsta, Norway/Aalesund vgs) were also named to the All-PSAC West first team. Orten, a sophomore, finished second on the team in scoring with five goals and seven assists for 17 points. Redshirt senior Toby Gower (Norwich, England/Long Stratton) also returns and will be in the midfield. He is now a two-time second team All-PSAC West honoree and has 53 career starts. While not an All-PSAC West honoree, a healthy season could lead to a big offensive year for forward Tinashe Katsande (Norwich, England/Dereham Sixth Form College). The graduate student had a goal and an assist in the first two games and now has 22 goals and 53 career points. He had five goals and three assists for 13 points last year.

Alarcon, Lite Share Time in Goal
Head coach Billy Colton employed goalkeepers Samual Alarcon and Mateo Lite (Huesca, Spain/IES Luis Bunuel) in the first two games. Alarcon, a sophomore, started the final 11 games last year, finishing with four shutouts and a 1.36 GAA. He played in the opener against Georgian Court. Lite took over against Goldey-Beacom and had five saves. He is also a sophomore.
 
Scouting Ashland
Ashland was picked to finish third in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference after finishing at 12-7-1 last year and finishing as the GMAC champions. The Eagles played host to the program's first home NCAA Division II playoff game. The Eagles got off to a 0-2-0 start this past weekend while facing a pair of strong opponents. The season began with a 3-1 loss to No. 5 Charleston (WV) last Thursday, and on Sunday the Eagles dropped a 3-2 decision to a Millersville team picked to finish third in the PSAC East preseason poll after going 10-3-5 last year. Ashland hosted both opponents. Under the direction of fourth-year head coach Nick Roberts, the reigning Great Midwest Coach of the Year, the Eagles have three returning all-conference performers from a season ago – junior goalkeeper Ty Bowden (Goalkeeper of the Year, first team), sophomore defender Francesco Chiappo (Freshman of the Year, second team) and senior midfielder Matthew Roberts (second team).

Next for the Golden Knights
After three straight contests at McConnell Family Stadium Gannon heads out on the road for the first time in 2023, playing at Wilmington (Del.) on Saturday, September 9. The Wildcats are off to a 1-0-1 start heading into a Wednesday contest at West Chester. They were 10-5-5 a year ago, with Gannon winning a 1-0 decision.
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Herman Aanberg

#10 Herman Aanberg

M
5' 10"
Junior
Bautista Corti

#5 Bautista Corti

D
6' 2"
Junior
Pau Ferrer

#4 Pau Ferrer

D
5' 9"
Redshirt Sophomore
Computer Science
Sverre Orten

#23 Sverre Orten

M
5' 9"
Sophomore
Business Administration 
James Pool

#6 James Pool

M
5' 10"
Redshirt Senior
Toby Gower

#8 Toby Gower

M
5' 9"
Redshirt Senior
Tinashe Katsande

#7 Tinashe Katsande

F
6' 3"
Graduate Student
Mateo Lite

#20 Mateo Lite

GK
6' 0"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Herman Aanberg

#10 Herman Aanberg

5' 10"
Junior
M
Bautista Corti

#5 Bautista Corti

6' 2"
Junior
D
Pau Ferrer

#4 Pau Ferrer

5' 9"
Redshirt Sophomore
Computer Science
D
Sverre Orten

#23 Sverre Orten

5' 9"
Sophomore
Business Administration 
M
James Pool

#6 James Pool

5' 10"
Redshirt Senior
M
Toby Gower

#8 Toby Gower

5' 9"
Redshirt Senior
M
Tinashe Katsande

#7 Tinashe Katsande

6' 3"
Graduate Student
F
Mateo Lite

#20 Mateo Lite

6' 0"
Sophomore
GK