MILLERSVILLE, Pa. — After an even 88 minutes of action,
Owen Rennie's penalty kick goal sealed the game with two minutes on the clock, giving the Warriors the 1-0 upset over Millersville in the PSAC Semifinals on Wednesday afternoon. With the win, they will be competing in the conference championship for the first time in nine years.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The early portion of the game stayed even as both teams traded shots back and forth. The middle portion of the first half was owned by both defenses until the Warriors managed to generate multiple offensive drives in the last 12 minutes that resulted in shots, but none found the net. With the ESU defense holding Millersville without a shot down the stretch, the half ended scoreless.
- Offense turned up for both teams coming out of the second half. As the Marauders built drives with multiple shot opportunities, the Warriors responded with charges of their own. The 71st minute saw perhaps the best scoring opportunity for Millersville with three straight shots right in front of the goal that subsequently went blocked by Jose Rosario, Christian Gesse, then saved by Phil Sykes to keep the scoreboard even.
- With no shots on goal since that exchange, it looked like the game was heading into overtime. That was until the Marauders' goalkeeper, Gavin Massimi, was served a yellow card with two minutes left, giving Owen Rennie a chance to put ESU on the board with a penalty kick. The sophomore did just that, sealing the win for the Warriors.
GAME NOTES
- Rennie has been no stranger to penalty kicks this season. In the road contest facing West Chester, he scored his only other game-winner of the season in the form of a penalty kick. The goal today is his third of the season, bringing him to a total of 10 points.
- Millersville had been one of the least penalized teams in the conference all year, but the Warriors drew three yellow card calls against Marauders while the only ESU cards given out were for the goal celebration. Millersville was also given nearly double the number of fouls, totaling 11 compared to 6 for the Warriors.
- Sykes recorded his seventh shutout of the season. This ties him with third for the most solo shutouts in a single season. The other player in this spot is Larry Pokrywa, who set it in 2007 when the Warriors went on to win the PSAC Championship.
UP NEXT
ESU hosts the PSAC Championship game from Eiler-Martin Stadium, facing off against the top seed in the West, the Gannon Golden Knights, at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
