BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – After 110 minutes of play without a goal, the Bloomsburg men's soccer fell 4-2 on penalty kicks in the opening round of the PSAC Tournament to West Chester Monday evening.

Both teams had their chances to find a goal in regulation and overtime, but neither side could find the side in the pivotal moments. The Huskies finished the game with more overall shots (20-11) and shots on goal (4-3) against the Golden Rams but could not find the breakthrough effort to avoid penalties.

Bloomsburg falls to 10-3-5 on the season as West Chester advances to the PSAC Tournament semifinals against Gannon with a record of 10-4-4.

How It Happened: 
The two sides went back and forth the entire night, generating chances on the offensive end and displaying physical play throughout. The tone was set early as the Golden Rams were issued a yellow card inside the first two minutes of the match. 

Anthony Schlee (Baltimore, Md./Archbishop Curley) was on the receiving end of several chances inside the first 12 minutes of the contest but could not convert via a header or his feet. Kody Besser (Lacey Township, N.J./Lacey Township) had the first shot on target in the match with a header sent to the bottom left corner and stopped by West Chester goalkeeper Daniel Good.

The two teams continued to trade opportunities going down the field, but neither could convert an opportunity in the opening half. The Golden Rams got their best chance in the first 45 minutes as the visitors received successive corners that resulted in a header just scraping over the crossbar before heading into the break at 0-0.

Both sides pressed in search of a lead in the second half, which led to great plays from both defenses and goalkeepers to keep the teams in the game. West Chester started the first half with a golden opportunity inside the 51st minute. After drawing a penalty, Josh Daniels stepped up for the visitors but failed to convert the attempt in regulation and give the Golden Rams a lead.

Parker Nickelsen (Toms River, N.J./Toms River North) searched for and took several opportunities in the second half in the hopes of getting the Huskies on the scoreboard, accumulating a total of five shots. Sammy Ames (Holly Ridge, N.C./Dixon) had the next crack at the net for Bloomsburg that Good again able to stop. Brady Rimple (Cherryville, Pa./Northampton Area) kept the Huskies in the match in the closing seconds as West Chester's Cooper Jackson had the ball square in front of the goal with just 13 seconds remaining in regulation with a tremendous save.

Bloomsburg continued to search for its chance to take the lead and just missed the opportunity in the first overtime period. Owen Hollobaugh (State College, Pa./State College) was on the end of a cross headed for the bottom right corner that got cleared off the line by the Golden Rams' defense. In the second overtime period, both teams generated several more chances off set pieces that could not sneak past the opposing defenses. 

In the end, West Chester ended up being the more clinical side in penalties, converting all four of their chances in the shootout period.

On The Horizon:
Bloomsburg awaits a final decision from the NCAA selection committee to determine if the Huskies receive a bid to the 2023 NCAA Tournament with the NCAA selection show set for Monday, November 13, at 7:00 p.m.