Men's Soccer | 11/16/2024 12:00:00 PM

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - No. 13 Bloomsburg men's soccer prepares for a battle of No. 1 seeds in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship Game against No. 18 Gannon Sunday afternoon.

The Huskies are 14-3-2 entering Sunday's championship contest and are coming off a thrilling result after taking down Slippery Rock, 5-4, on penalty kicks after 110 minutes of regulation and a 1-1 tie. The Golden Knights stand at 14-2-3 overall and enter the title match after scoring 30 seconds into overtime to defeat West Chester, 1-0.

Fans can purchase tickets with the following link through Hudl Tickets. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for kids K-12. PSAC students with a valid member institution I.D. receive free admission. Tickets can only be purchased via Hudl Tickets and must be made with a cashless purchase.

Inside The Matchup
Bloomsburg and Gannon enter as the top two teams from their respective divisions and both experienced the competitive nature of the other side of the conference in the semifinal matchups. The history between the two sides favors the Golden Knights, with the visitors from Erie holding the advantage over the Huskies at 4-16-1. The teams have met twice in the last four seasons, splitting the two games played at Steph Pettit Stadium led by head coach Mark Bassett. The last meeting between the sides came in the 2022 PSAC Semifinal, with Bloomsburg getting the better of a 3-2 contest. Senior defender Patrick Walsh (Macungie, Pa./Emmaus) scored the game-winning goal in the contest for the Huskies. The last five matchups in Bloomsburg have been an even split between the two sides at 2-2-1.

The Huskies and Golden Knights shared several common opponents over the course of the season. Gannon is 5-0-3 in matchups against the combination of Lock Haven, Seton Hill, Slippery Rock and West Chester while Bloomsburg is 3-1-1. The Huskies' lone defeat in these games came on the road at West Chester in late September, a place the Golden Knights won at a few weeks later, 2-0. Bloomsburg has a 1-0 win over Seton Hill this season, a squad Gannon finished with a pair of draws against during their regular-season contests, most recently needing a penalty to come from behind against the Griffins to force a 1-1 draw in the 85th minute. 

The Golden Knights enter the PSAC Championship contest for the first time since 2021 and their fourth overall. Since joining the conference in 2017, Gannon has an 0-3 record in the title game, losing to East opposition on all three occasions. In 2019 and 2021, the Golden Knights lost to Millersville, with the Marauders having one four of the last five PSAC Championships. In 2017, Gannon fell to East Stroudsburg. 

Bloomsburg is having one of its best seasons in program history, matching the most victories in a season with 14 entering Sunday. The Huskies play host to the PSAC Championship Tournament for the second time in three seasons after earning the honor in 2022. Bloomsburg is making its sixth PSAC Championship Game appearance in program history.. 

Bassett's Hounds
Bloomsburg men's soccer has reached unparalleled success in the program's history under the guidance of Bassett. In his four seasons at the helm, Bassett has accumulated a record of 48-21-8 (.675) to this point with a 27-14-5 (.641) mark in conference action. The 48 victories are the most by any coach in the team's history over a four-year period while topping the career winning-percentage mark. Bassett leads the Huskies into their third consecutive PSAC Tournament appearance, the first time in program history. Bloomsburg won the East for the second time in three seasons under the leadership of Bassett, earning the right to host after doing so in 2022. The Huskies are making their second PSAC Championship Game appearance under Bassett. The fourth-year gaffer is now just the second coach in program history to make multiple appearances in the title matchup.

Under the direction of Bassett the Huskies have accumulated 23 All-PSAC East nods, including coaching Walsh to PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Year honors in 2024 and helping Owen Hollobaugh (State College, Pa./State College) to Freshman of the Year acclaim in 2023. In addition to the all-conference accolades, Bassett helped defender Kody Besser (Lacey Township, N.J./Lacey Township) to All-Atlantic Region honors in 2023, becoming the first player since 2019 and first defender since 2015 to reach the status. On his own shelf, Bassett received PSAC East Coach of the Year honors on Wednesday after also earning the distinction in 2022. In the last three seasons, Bassett has matched the program single-season wins record twice (14) and led the program to its first NCAA Tournament victory in team history in 2023 with a 2-1 victory over Southern New Hampshire. 

Twist of Fate
Bloomsburg is hoping to reverse its fortunes in Sunday's game. The Huskies' sixth PSAC Championship Game appearance comes at the onus of a winless record in the final stage. Bloomsburg men's soccer is 0-5 in program history in the title match and 0-3 since 2011. The Huskies already flipped one switch, avenging a 4-2 defeat on penalties to West Chester from last season's PSAC Quarterfinals at Steph Pettit Stadium. The win from the spot was the team's first since a PSAC Semifinal matchup with Lock Haven in 2011. 

Styles Clash
The matchup between the Huskies and the Golden Knights will come down to which team gets the most out of its strength. Bloomsburg's success this season has come with a stout defensive display, seeking to keep opponents off the scoreboard. The Huskies led the PSAC during the regular season and lead the conference entering Sunday with a .684 goals against average. However, the Golden Knights are right behind Bloomsburg with a .737 average. Gannon puts pressure on opponents with its fiery offensive play, leading the nation in scoring average at 3.42 goals per contest. The Golden Knights are just one of two sides in Division II to average at least three goals a game. Gannon has five players this season with at least seven goals, including three double-digit goalscorers and three players with at least 10 assists.

Success In The Margins
The Bloomsburg men's soccer team is accustomed at this point to tight contests and Friday's result was just the continuation. The semifinal clash with Slippery Rock was the Huskies' 10th game this season decided by one goal or less. In those contests, Bloomsburg is 7-1-2 overall and is 6-0-2 against PSAC opposition. At Steph Pettit Stadium, the Huskies are 5-1-2. In postseason competition under Bassett, Bloomsburg is 2-1-2 in those situations. Under the guidance of Bassett, the Huskies are 27-14-8 in narrow scenarios. Gannon is 24-6-10 in such games over the same stretch but has only seen six such games this season and is 2-1-3. 

Experience Matters
With the program's success comes the challenges of maintaining it and luckily for the Huskies, there is a wealth of experience across the team, not just alone but playing together. 13 members of the Bloomsburg have played 35 games in Maroon & Gold, 12 of which have seen action in 40 contests and eight in 50 matches. The group is anchored in the midfield by the tandem of Teagan Wallace (Lumberton, N.J./Rancocas Valley Regional) and Alex Wilsterman (Orefield, Pa./Parkland), with the duo combining for 138 games played and 101 starts. In the attack, Parker Nickelsen (Toms River, N.J./Toms River North) and Anthony Schlee (Baltimore, Md./Archbishop Curley) have appeared in 148 contests with 88 starts. The Huskies add to their experience with junior Quaid Molino (Charleston, S.C./Wando (S.C.) / South Williamsport (Pa.)). After transferring in with 31 career games and seven starts, the midfielder has appeared in 18 matches for Bloomsburg with eight starts for 49 total games. This core group of players will be the backbone to the Huskies' plans.

The Rimple Registry
The three seasons starting in goal for Brady Rimple (Cherryville, Pa./Northampton Area) have earned the goalkeeper a place in the Bloomsburg record books. Rimple broke the school single-season and career shutout records this year, first breaking the career mark in a 6-0 win over Shippensburg before notching the single-season tally in a 4-0 victory over Dominican (NY) in his next outing. Rimple presently stands with 9.5 shutouts to his name this season and 20.5 in his career. Rimple is the only goalkeeper in program history with three seasons reaching five or more shutouts and is the only net minder to reach 20 in a career. Rimple has made several clutch stops in his entire tenure, including this season to aid the Huskies' efforts. Entering the championship game, the graduate has .724 goals against average and a .780 save percentage with 47 stops. Rimple is tied for the PSAC lead with Gannon's Andre Moraes with nine shutouts.

Give The Dogs Their Bones
Bloomsburg's success this season has come with the help of a contingency of players. The widespread contributions resulted in the team earning a program record with seven All-PSAC East honors, including five first-team selections.

On the first team, Walsh became the first Husky to garner PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Year honors after playing a pivotal role along the backline for Bloomsburg. Walsh led the teams in goals (7) and points (14) during the regular season and led all defenders in the PSAC in goals. Anchoring the center of the defense, Besser earned his second-consecutive first-team nod after finishing second on the team in points (14) and tied for second in goals (4) and assists (5). Besser joins Wilsterman this season as one of nine players in program history to receive three all-conference honors and just the sixth to be a two-time first-team honoree. Rimple rounds out the defensive recipients with his first all-conference honor, a first-team All-PSAC East bid.

In the midfield, Wallace takes a spot first-team All-PSAC East spot after notching a career-high nine points, scoring two goals and recording a career-best five assists. The senior is a two-time all-conference honoree after earning second-team accolades in 2023. Wilsterman pairs with his running mate for second-team honors in his final season. The graduate tied for second on the team with four goals and finished with three assists for 11 points. The midfielder is just one of three players on the team with back-to-back 10-point campaigns and one of three with three seasons reaching the benchmark.

Up front, Hollobaugh made consecutive all-conference appearances in his first two seasons on the field for the Huskies. After a second-team bid and Freshman of the Year honors in 2023, Hollobaugh was the final Bloomsburg player with four regular-season goals to go with two assists to mark consecutive 10-points seasons playing at the point. The sophomore has nine goals and five assists to his career totals. Hollobaugh netted the Huskies' regulation goal against Slippery Rock for his fifth on the season. Finally, Schlee makes his second-consecutive All-PSAC East second team after recording two goals and four assists in 19 games. The senior is the team's active leader in goals (17), assists (12), points (46), games played (77) and starts (64).

Final Notes
If Bloomsburg wants to improve its title odds, then the Huskies need to apply more consistent challenges to Gannon's Moraes on Sunday. Despite matching Slippery Rock with 13 shots apiece, the Huskies only had two attempts on target. That trend has played out over the course of the season, with Bloomsburg 147th in the nation in shooting accuracy at .414. The Golden Knights average 10 shots on goal per contest and over 19 in total, meaning the Huskies must find forms of response to answer when opportunities come knocking. 

Goalkeepers will play a major part in Sunday's contest due to the help both teams provide their shot stoppers. Rimple and Moraes are towards the bottom of the conference in save per contest with both goalies under three. Whichever glove holds strongest will provide their side with a critical edge. 

Gannon tied Bloomsburg and West Chester in the East by securing seven All-PSAC West honorees. The Golden Knights did so by placing all seven players on the First Team. In the back, Moraes is aided by four-time All-PSAC West First-Team selection Bautista Corti and the reigning two-time PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Year, Pau Ferrer. Moving up the pitch, the midfield is supported by the attacking efforts of three-time first-team selection and PSAC West Athlete of the Year Sverre Orten and two-time first-team pick James Pool. Up front, three-time All-PSAC West selection Herman Aanberg and freshman Alander Soares round out the list. 

Orten is Gannon's leader in points entering Sunday, having nine goals and a team-high 13 assists on the season. Up front, Soares leads a trio of double-digit goalscoring forwards. Sophomore Rafa Hyde has 10 goals and four assists overall and came through when it mattered most, netting the golden goal against West Chester on Friday. Per Kristian Lauvstad is the last member of the group, recording 10 goals and three assists in his first season. Aanberg supports the group from the wings with 12 assists and two goals. In the middle, Pool drives the efforts through the middle with four goals and 10 assists on the season. He is joined by defensive midfielder Shota Toyama with five goals and three assists to his name. Ferrer has the freedom to push up from his wingback spot and join the attack, contributing seven assists this season.