CALIFORNIA (Oct. 2) – The Vulcans were unable to erase a two-goal deficit in the first half on Saturday afternoon in a 2-1 loss against No. 21 Gannon in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West action at the Phillipsburg Soccer Facility.

With the loss, the California University of Pennsylvania men's soccer team falls to 1-6-1 overall with a 1-2 mark in league play. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights improve to 7-1 this season while opening divisional action on Saturday.

Gannon applied early pressure with five shots in the opening 21 minutes, including three in a span of three minutes. The Golden Knights took a 1-0 lead at the 33:05-mark when Sergio Del Castillo scored from in close after a cross by Tinashe Katsande, who entered the weekend as the leading goal scorer in the PSAC. Gannon continued to threaten with a blocked shot and corner kick in the next two-plus minutes before Del Castillo tallied his second goal of the game in the 40th minute.

The Vulcans placed a header on net in the opening minutes of the second half before the teams traded corner kicks in just over a minute. Cal U trimmed the deficit to 2-1 at the 63:36-mark when senior Negus Johnson (Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Township) beat the goalie in the upper left of the goal following a pass from freshman Chris Garcia (Winchester, Va./James Wood). The Vulcans were unable to attempt a shot after collecting back-to-back corner kicks before junior Trevor Zabilowicz (Toms River, N.J./Toms River East) made the save on a header in the 70th minute. Gannon looked to add an insurance goal in the 83rd minute before a header sailed high off a corner kick.

Zabilowicz finished with four saves while playing the entire game for the eighth time this year.

The Golden Knights finished the game with a 13-6 shot advantage, while the Vulcans posted a 6-5 edge in corner kicks.

Cal U returns to action on Wednesday, Oct. 6, when it hosts Mercyhurst at 7:30 p.m.