BLOOMSBURG—For the first time since the 1996 season and third time in program history, the Bloomsburg men's soccer team will be competing in the PSAC championship game.  Bloomsburg travels this Saturday, November 5 to take on no. 2 seed Millersville at 6:00 p.m.  If the Huskies are able to earn a win in, it will be the first conference championship in program history. 

Bloomsburg punched their ticket into the PSAC championship game after a thrilling nine round penalty kick shootout against top seeded Lock Haven, 7-6.  Millersville earned their way into the championship game after shutting out California Pa., 4-0. Admission for the championship game will be $7 for adults, $2 for students, and students who attend a PSAC member institution will be admitted for free with valid identification.

Looking back at the overtime thriller, head coach Paul Payne recalls the semifinal game. “It was a great atmosphere, great crowd, people were into and it reminded me of a PSAC game from years ago.  I looked at the faces of the guys who didn't step on the field when we won and they were as excited as the guy who put in the last PK and that means the world because those kids are out every day in training putting it in.  It's kind of neat anytime you start a season to watch a team grow as a group of people and this team has.”

Against Lock Haven, the Huskies put forth another tremendous defensive effort, limiting the Bald Eagles to one goal on 18 shots; Lock Haven's lone goal came on a penalty kick in the second half.  “They might have had more of the ball but I think people might discount the fact that we defended very well” Payne stated, he goes on “there are two sides of soccer, attacking and defending.  Statistics are statistics but I think people need to take a look at what we did defensively as well as taking advantage of the opportunity we had when we did score.”

Coach Payne talks about the leadership of his 2011 Huskies “John Owens (Jamison/Central Bucks East) and Matt Kaupp (Newtown/Archbishop Wood) have been so steady and are quiet leaders for us in the back.  People forget we lost our top goal scorer a while ago but we are getting it done and a lot of it comes from the quiet leadership of these guys.”

Payne goes on about the defensive efforts this season, particularly sophomore goalie Bernie Roell (Douglassville/Daniel Boone).  “Bernie is a huge personality.  He's a presence and we talk about goalies always having a presence in the box, Ramon is extremely good too.  Bernie believes he's going to save everything and even when he doesn't, he still thinks how that'd get by him? The guys feed off him.” 

The Huskies started the 2011 season by going 1-4-1 in their first six games but the growth of this team has started to produce results.  “We've grown up quite a bit in the last month after losing overtime games to some nationally ranked teams” Payne stated.  “We've learned that if we show up and play hard for 90 minutes, we know we are going to be in every match.  The matches we didn't have success, I don't know if we were there for 90 but now the players have a sense of what they can do if they play for a full 90.”

Saturday's game against the Marauders will be the second meeting between the two universities this season.  Millersville topped the Huskies 2-0 back on September 14, scoring early in the first half and late in the second.  Talking with coach Payne, he will tell you those results have no bearing on this week's game. 

Payne has reinforced the idea that past results do not dictate future ones.  “We had beaten Lock Haven 3-1 on 10/1 and that meant nothing on 11/2.  Millersville has had the better of us the last couple of years and as far as I know, this Saturday, the game starts 0-0 and that's the day we have to better than Millersville to win the PSAC championship.”

With an opportunity to make history, the Huskies have their hands full as Millersville makes their third trip to the PSAC championship game in the past four seasons.  Millersville just dropped out of the national top 25 but still hold the number one regional ranking.  At the end of the day on Saturday, one of the two programs will claim their program's first PSAC championship. 

The Marauders of Millersville hold the edge in the all-time series 26-13-5.  Millersville has won the last nine match-ups, with the Huskies last win coming in 2006 when BU earned a 3-1 result.