Men's Soccer | 11/4/2023 2:16:00 PM

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – The No. 2-seeded Bloomsburg men's soccer is set to host third-seeded West Chester in the first round of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament on Monday, November 6, at 5:00 p.m. at Steph Pettit Stadium.

The Huskies entered the meeting 10-3-4 on the year with a 7-2-3 in conference play and are coming off a 2-0 win over Georgian Court to conclude their regular season. The Golden Rams finished their regular season at 10-4-3 with a 7-3-2 mark against PSAC East opposition, having lost to East Stroudsburg, 2-1, in their regular-season finale.

Fans can purchase tickets online through TicketLeap or at the gate. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students K-12. Students of member institutions get free admission with a valid student ID.

Inside the Matchup
Bloomsburg and West Chester meet for the third time this season, with the Huskies' record at 0-1-1 against the Golden Rams. Bloomsburg is 9-16-5 in program history against West Chester, with the last win coming on October 9, 2019.

The Golden Rams got the better of a highly contested 1-0 game at Steph Pettit Stadium on September 16, with a goal in the 89th minute off a set piece proving to be the decider. The backend of the regular-season matchups saw a 2-2 tie on a wet day in West Chester. The Huskies jumped out to an early 2-0 lead before West Chester grabbed one before the half and netted the equalizer in the 61st minute. The match was even to the tee, with both sides recording 10 shots (five on goal), three saves and five corner kicks.

The meeting on Monday will be the first-ever matchup in the PSAC Tournament between the two East foes. Bloomsburg is 5-11 (.313) all-time in the conference tournament, as West Chester is 5-16 (.238) in PSAC postseason action.

Battling For Bassett
Into the third year of his tenure with the Huskies, head coach Mark Bassett has brought an immense amount of success to Bloomsburg. After guiding the Huskies in matching a program record with 14 wins a season ago, Bassett led Bloomsburg to double-digit wins in consecutive seasons for the sixth time in program history and first time since 2014/2015. At 32-17-5, the third-year coach currently holds the third-best three-year stretch in school history. 

It Takes a Pack
Bloomsburg has relied on a balanced attack throughout the season, with several players stepping up in big moments. Junior Anthony Schlee (Baltimore, Md./Archbishop Curley) leads the team in goals (5) and tied with a team-high 11 points. The forward is ranked 29th in shot accuracy and second in the PSAC with a mark of .583. Schlee is the active team leader with 15 goals and 38 points in his career.

Freshman Owen Hollobaugh (State College, Pa./State College) had a tremendous second half of the season to finish with 11 points, tallying four goals while tied for the team lead with three assists. Senior midfielder Alex Wilsterman (Orefield, Pa./Parkland) is the final Husky with 10 points entering postseason action, recording four goals and two assists on the year.

In total, six players have at least three goals on the season, with all six having at least nine points. Nine players for Bloomsburg have at least five points thus far during the 2023 campaign.

Ready-Made With Rimple
Brady Rimple (Cherryville, Pa./Northampton Area) has been reliable in his two seasons between the sticks for the Huskies. The goalkeeper became the sixth player in program history with 10 career shutouts following the 2-0 victory over Georgian Court and just the third in team history with at least five shutouts in two seasons. The junior needs one clean sheet to enter a tie for the fourth.

Award-Winning Huskies
Sam Blumberger (Colchester, Conn./Bacon Academy) and Stephen Hollis (Holtsville, N.Y./Sachem East) broght home PSAC East Athlete of the Week honors in consecutive weeks, marking the first occurrence for Blumberger and the third recognition in three years for Hollis. Sophomore defender Kody Besser (Lacey Township, N.J./Lacey Township) was twice named PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Week following performances that saw him spark Bloomsburg on both ends of the field. 

Numbers to Know
The Huskies rank in the top 50 in several national categories, including corner kicks (39th), shots on goal (44th), shot accuracy (47th) and goals against average (50th). The team also ranks among the top five in the PSAC with 6.71 shots per game (4th), a 1.824 scoring average (T-4th), 5.65 corners per match (T-4th), a 1.00 opponent scoring average (5th) and a .738 save percentage (5th).

On the opposing end, the Golden Rams have been successful this season via stout defensive play. West Chester currently sits at the top of the PSAC in shutout percentage (.500) and goals against average (.875) before this week's contest, ranking 15th and 20th in those categories, respectively. Golden Rams goalkeeper Daniel Good entered the final week of the regular season, tied 7th nationally with eight shutouts on the year, good enough to sit atop the conference as the goalkeeper sits with a .875 goals-against average (24th nationally). 

Andrew Markopoulos is the leading goal scorer for West Chester with six on the season while being complimented by the play of Jack Dieffenderfer, who tied for the team lead with 12 points and second for the Golden Rams with five goals. 

Monday's winner will head to Erie for the semifinals to take on hosts and top seed from the PSAC West, Gannon. on Friday, November 10, at 3:00 p.m.