2008 Woodie Awards
Men's soccer wipes out West Chester
Moves into sole possession of third, four points out of first
By Erin Fisher
Rocket Contributor
Issue date: 9/21/07 Section: Sports
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The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference game ended 2-2 after a double-overtime showing, bringing the Rock to a 4-1-2 PSAC record and a 5-2-2 overall mark.
"We didn't play well," Rock Head Coach Matt Thompson said. "This was the poorest I have seen them play as a unit this season.
"But sometimes you have to give credit to the other team. They came to play soccer, and they did it well."
Sophomore Jeremy Deighton got the game going in the first half after landing a header in the back of the net during the 17th minute of play. Assisting him were Steve Perri and Patrick Cormac.
Almost 10 minutes into the second half, Deighton went one on one with the goalie and dumped the ball off to sophomore Iain Langstone, who gave the Rock a 2-0 lead.
In minutes, Shippensburg had battled back to even the score. Chaos in the box allowed Austin Alfonsi to net a goal for the Red Raiders. Shortly after, David Rostad tied the game at 2-2.
That is how the score would remain, forcing the two teams into sudden-death overtime.
"To be fair, the team did show resilience," Thompson said. "We could have given up after their second goal, but we didn't. They kept going and digging deep."
Shippensburg outshot the Rock in regulation play, 22-18, but SRU redeemed itself in overtime.
In the first 10-minute period the Rock got off only two shots to Shippensburg's four, but in the second, Slippery Rock came out with six shots and did not allow the Red Raiders any.
"We had our chances, we just couldn't put it in the net," Thompson said.
Freshman goalie Greg Blum tallied six saves, none of which occurred during overtime play.
Deighton contributed seven total shots to the Rock offense, four of which were on goal.
He was recently named PSAC Athlete of the week for his performance in two Rock victories last week.
"I give a lot of credit to my team," Deighton said. "We have been working our butts off to win against some of the top teams in the conference. Without my team, I wouldn't have had any of those opportunities."
Off an assist by Toby Bowser, Deighton scored the game-winning goal in overtime last Saturday afternoon against West Chester in a PSAC match-up.
Rock senior Ed Mocarsky scored the first goal late in the first half on a pass from Nick Christy.
West Chester tied the game almost halfway through the second half, forcing the game into overtime, where Deighton's goal clinched the victory.
"We are on a great run," Thompson said. "We are still unbeaten, and still looking forward."
The Rock will continue that run in PSAC play as they take on Millersville on Saturday afternoon on Bob DiSpirito Field at N. Kerr Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for noon.
This will mark the fifth conference game in a row for the Rock.
Saturday's game will be the Rock's last before embarking on a four-game road trip that may make or break the Green & White's season.
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