On Saturday, Sept. 10th, the Slippery Rock men's soccer team improved their overall record to 2-1 for the season with a 2-1 win against the West Chester University Golden Rams.
The Rock opened the scoring in the 14th minute when junior defender Drew Donoghue scored off of a corner kick from junior midfielder Cody Clark.
"Scoring the first goal is always important, especially in a PSAC game," Donoghue said. "Having momentum early in the game is very important because it allows us to settle in and play our style of soccer."
West Chester answered back seven minutes later on a penalty kick and took the game into the half tied at one.
In a tie game, the locker room focused on coming out for a strong second half and playing their style of game, according to Donoghue.
"Coach Bonelli told us to stick to our game plan and to keep playing hard," Donoghue said. "We knew if we did that, a goal was bound to come."
The Rock battled for possession in the early minutes of the second half and finally scored the go-ahead goal in the 64th minute of play.
Senior forward Kenneth Fultz scored the game-winner after receiving a pass from freshman forward Christopher Davis.
The Rock's defense held onto the lead for the remaining 26 minutes and went on to the 2-1 victory.
West Chester outshot SRU 10-8 in total shots and posted a 5-4 advantage in shots on goal.
Junior goalkeeper Timothy White played the entire 90 minutes and allowed one goal past him and had three saves.
The Golden Rams and the Rock were even in corner kicks with three each and there were a total of 28 fouls in the game, 10 by SRU and 18 by West Chester.
The team has had nearly a week off and will resume play on the road against No. 12 ranked California University of Pennsylvania. The Vulcans are 5-0-1 on the season. After facing Cal U. Saturday, the Rock will then face Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania Sunday in Shippensburg.
Senior defender Patrick Conley believes that the team is not only ready for Cal, but anyone in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.
"If we do the things we have been doing this week in training, it will make for a very competitive match," he said. "Every PSAC game is extremely important, but we always look forward to getting a chance to beat Cal."
SRU lost a close overtime match against the Vulcans last season and have lost five of its last six against Cal.
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