EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. — Less than a minute after a devastating offside call wiped clean what would've been the winning goal in double overtime, ESU's championship hopes were ended as it lost 1-0 to Gannon on Sunday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Through the first half of play, the Warriors held possession for a large portion of the time. It started with an early offense that posted four shots before the Golden Knights could get even one off. However, their first shots came in a big way as they took four consecutive shots in the span of 13 seconds, all of which were blocked by the ESU defense. In the 26th minute,
Owen Rennie had a near-perfect shot to the top of the net, but it was punched out. Gannon found a shot opportunity late in the half that was also blocked, ending it in a scoreless draw.
• Both teams established their offense in the second half, each putting up multiple shots in the first 10 minutes. They continued to trade shots through the entire second period, but none made it past the goal post, taking the game to overtime.
• In the first overtime, each team played patiently, with the first shot being recorded halfway through and only two from each team. None of the shots scored, though, leaving a second overtime to be played. Two minutes in,
Kevin Kretschman saved a shot, giving control to ESU.
Steven Arias took the first shot for the team in the period, missing wide, but the Warriors regained possession. On their drive, a chained pass from
Jace Seara to
Jeter Cardona found Rennie open for the winning shot; however, an offside call wiped it off the board. On their drive back downfield, the Golden Knights got an open look at the net and scored to end the game.
GAME NOTES
• Gannon outshot ESU, 20-15, recording more shots in each period except the first overtime. However, the Warriors posted more shots on goal with seven. Rennie owns the majority share of that number, taking three of his own, while Seara put both of his shots on target. Cardona and
Mak Zerjav also recorded one each.
• Kevin Kreschman stepped into the game after
Phil Sykes went down early for his first minutes of the season. The senior's 95 minutes in the game is the most he's ever played in a single game. He earned five saves, the second time he's reached that mark, the last coming against Gannon in 2025.
UP NEXT
The Warriors look ahead to the NCAA selection show, where it will be determined if they have earned a spot in the NCAA Regional Tournament. The show takes place at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, being live-streamed on NCAA.com.
