SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University men's soccer team – the same squad that was voted last in the preseason coaches poll – clinched the No. 1 seed in the PSAC Tournament on Saturday night with its 10th consecutive victory – a 4-3 come-from-behind battle over California (Pa.) in a frenzied affair from David See Field.
Shippensburg (13-5, 6-3 PSAC) earned its first conference playoff berth since 1996 and by virtue of Lock Haven's 2-0 victory over The Rock on Saturday, will host as long as it competes in the PSAC Tournament. SU will host a match at 6 p.m. Wednesday against Slippery Rock.
Fortune favored the Red Raiders early, as sophomore
Taylor Hudson scored his third goal of the season in the 31st minute by sending a loose ball in the box into the lower left corner of the net.
California (11-5-2, 2-5-2 PSAC), who entered the game needing a victory to maintain its solid regional ranking for the postseason, answered with less than four minutes remaining in the half. A long run that tiptoed the end line resulted in a ball that Brady Sanders hammered into the back of the net. The Vulcans took a 2-1 lead in the 58th minute with a goal off a corner kick.
The mayhem mounted as the tension rose in the final 20 minutes. In the game's final third, the two teams combined to produce four goals, three cautions, a red card, a penalty kick and numerous fouls. What ultimately mattered was the prolific rate in which Shippensburg's offense took control – erupting for three goals in 6:35 to turn the tables.
Senior
Miles Harriger, one of four seniors feted before the game, spearheaded the tying goal in the 73rd minute. The SU offense had begun to mount some steady pressure, with a ball being played down the far left side. Harriger, operating in tight quarters, sent an absolutely wicked cross that went right to the foot of freshman
Derrick Roy, whose redirect knotted the score.
With the match far from over, the momentum had decidedly swung. Less than five minutes later, Harriger again sent a wonderful ball into the center area that junior
Simon Neubauer volleyed home for his first goal of the year. The raucous crowd had reached a fever pitch, and emotion continued to churn as a Vulcan player was ejected following the goal.
Continuing its high-octane approach, sophomore
Ben Weihbrecht played a magical cross that Harriger easily headed into the back of the net at 79:28. Cal did respond win during the 81st minute by converting a penalty kick, but the defense proved staunch in the game's last eight minutes to preserve the historic victory.
Head coach
Jeremy Spering's squad, currently absent in the NCAA regional rankings, finished the regular season by scoring 44 goals and allowing just 27. The latter statistic is perhaps the most telling – as it marks the fewest regular season goals allowed by a Red Raider squad since 2003, SU's last winning season.
Harriger, whose play will certainly warrant postseason accolades when that time comes, concludes the regular season with 10 goals and seven assists. Half of his tallies have been game winners. He is the first SU player besides Geoff Bloes to post double-digit goals since Andy Jennings in 2004.
Defensively, sophomore goalkeeper
Clay Sale was credited with three valuable saves in preserving the victory. He is 10-2 through 13 starts with a 1.50 goals-against average.
Check back this weekend as more information will be made available regarding the PSAC Tournament.
