ERIE, Pa. (Oct. 5) – The California University of Pennsylvania men's soccer team upset No. 4 Gannon on Saturday night at McConnell Family Stadium in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action, matching the highest ranked win over an opponent in recent program history.
With the win, the Vulcans improve to 2-4-1 this season with a 1-1-1 mark in divisional play. Cal U registered its first win at Gannon since the 2014 campaign and snapped a four-game losing streak against the Golden Knights. Meanwhile, Gannon drops its first match of the season and falls to 6-1 overall behind a 0-1-0 record in conference action.
Cal U matched its highest upset in recent program history after knocking off then-No. 4 Mercyhurst by a 2-0 margin during the 2011 season. It also marks the first win over a nationally-ranked opponent since 2016.
Gannon opened the contest with a trio of shots in the initial 15 minutes of the match with a pair going wide of the net. Both teams traded possession for over 14 minutes with neither side attempting a shot before the Vulcans tallied three shots in the span of six minutes. The Golden Knights notched the final shots of the first half in the 38th minute, as the contest went into the break scoreless.
Senior goalkeeper
Joseph Valeriano (Southampton, N.J./Seneca) was called into action early in the second half after collecting a save in the 52nd minute. Gannon rattled off thee more shots before Cal U countered with a goal from freshman
Chance Pursifull (Germantown, Ohio/Valley View) into the bottom right-corner of the net at the 66:04-mark, his first collegiate goal, 1-0. Classmate
Evan Blunkosky (McDonald, Pa./West Allegheny) also record an assist on the goal after passing the ball into the box. Freshman
Michael McAnalley (East McKeesport, Pa./East Allegheny) attempted to add to the lead in the 74th minute, but saw his shot saved by the Gannon goalie. The Golden Knights totaled three more shots down the final stretch of the match, but the Vulcans held on to secure a 1-0 victory.
Valeriano tallied a lone save in the second half despite facing 13 total shots and collected his second win of the season.
Gannon held a 13-8 shot advantage and a 4-2 edge in corner kicks, but Cal U had a 4-1 lead in shots on goal.
The Vulcans return to play on Wednesday, Oct. 9, when they travel to face Mercyhurst in Erie, Pennsylvania, with kickoff set for 1 p.m.
