WASHINGTON, Pa. -- A goal by sophomore midfielder
Zach Bowser (Beaver, Pa./Beaver Area) in the 81st minute pushed the Washington & Jefferson College men's soccer team to a 2-1 victory over Westminster College in the Presidents' Athletic Conference Championship match Friday night at Alexandre Stadium.
The PAC Championship is the second straight and fifth overall for W&J. The Presidents also claimed back-to-back championships in 2003-04. The match between W&J (2019) and Westminster (2018) was a battle of the previous two PAC Tournament Champions.
Westminster gained an early lead in the 15th minute when Tyler Caterino received a pass in the box off of a deflection from Payton Goodwin. Caterino then buried the ball into the back of the net to give the visitors at 1-0 lead.
W&J evened the score just before halftime when
Thomas Einolf (Carlisle, Pa./Middletown) tallied an unassisted goal in the 43rd minute. The goal helped W&J gain some momentum after Westminster dominated possession in the first half.
Both teams had chances to take the lead throughout the second half.
Jayden Da (Rockville, Md./Richard Montgomery) drew a foul to gain a free kick opportunity for the Presidents in the 81st minute.
Joey Feola (Carnegie, Pa./Central Catholic) chipped the ball into the box that Bowser sent past the Westminster goalie with a header for the go-ahead score.
Westminster had its best chance to even the score with just 50 seconds left when Nick Iregui sent a corner kick into the box. The header by David Stuebgen sailed just high over the net. The Presidents proceeded to run out the clock and earn their second straight conference crown.
Samuel Miller (Lewisburg, Pa./Lewisburg) registered six saves in 90 minutes of work in net.
Westminster out-shot W&J by a 23-11 margin but only seven of the Titans shot were on goal. The Titans recorded eight of the nine corner kicks in the match.
W&J finishes the season at 8-2-1 while Westminster closes at 5-5-1.
NOTES: Following the conclusion of the PAC Tournament, Bowser was named The Most Outstanding Player. Bowser, Da, Einolf and Feola were named to the PAC All-Tournament Team.
