2008 Woodie Awards
Men's soccer blanks UPJ
By Travis Pickens
Issue date: 9/30/05 Section: Sports
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With goalkeeper Chris Cook leading the way on Wednesday night, the Rock defeated UPJ, 2-0. The shutout was Cook's third straight in home matches.
"I'm real pumped about that," Cook said. "(The) defense got switched up a little this game, so it was good we got the (shutout)."
Coach Matt Thompson was pleased with the win against UPJ.
"It's good to see," Thompson said. "(UPJ) is a team that we should be able to play well against, and we proved it."
Captain Dave Keller picked up an assist on the Rock's first goal. Kraig Bruder put Keller's pass in the net in the fourth minute to give SRU an early advantage. Nick Christy finished the scoring in the 38th minute. Christy kicked the ball past UPJ (2-6-1) goalkeeper Steve Weimer following a long pass from teammate Mike Monte.
Prior to the game, Thompson said he would rest a number of the team's starters to prepare for the push to the PSAC playoffs, which starts Sunday at East Stroudsburg.
Even with the majority of starters sitting out, SRU (4-3-1 PSAC, 5-5-1 Overall) controlled the bulk of the game, but missed scoring chances on five occasions to put the game away completely.
"It speaks a lot of our character and the depth we have here," Cook said of the team succeeding with most of the starters on the bench.
Cook said the win gives the team confidence heading into the final stretch run of the season.
"We needed this for momentum," Cook said. "Physically speaking, (the rest of the season) is going to be very rough. We need to keep up the good work."
In conference play last Saturday, the Rock cemented itself as a legitimate playoff contender thanks to a win over Millersville.
Coming in, the Rock sat in fourth place, which is the final playoff spot in the PSAC, currently one point over California (Pa.) The team responded, downing the Marauders, 1-0, to earn three vital points and move into first place in the conference. SRU dropped from first to fourth place after other PSAC results on Tuesday. In conference play, three points are awarded for a win, while one point is awarded for a draw.
