Fighting Scots Look to Clinch Playoff Berth at Local Rival Gannon

GAMEDAY CENTRAL – Edinboro at Gannon

Date: Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Site: McConnell Family Stadium, Erie, Pa.
Records: Edinboro 9-2-3, 9-0-3 PSAC West I Gannon 6-6-2, 5-6-2 PSAC West
Edinboro Links:  Roster I Schedule I Stats
Gannon Links:  Roster I Schedule I Stats
Live Stats:  Click Here
Live Video: Click Here

AROUND THE LEAGUE

PSAC Scoreboard: Click Here
PSAC Standings: Click Here
PSAC Statistics: Click Here

SERIES HISTORY

All-Time Series: Gannon leads 15-8-5
Last Meeting: September 28, 2019: Edinboro 2, Gannon 2 2ot
How It Happened: A wild first half saw both teams score twice in the first 45 minutes. Gannon scored 29 seconds into the match to take a lightning-quick 1-0 lead. Aesling McCullough accounted for the early advantage for the Lady Knights. Edinboro didn't wait long to answer, knotting the score at 5:24 on Brittany Hurey's first goal of the season. The first half ended as it started, with a pair of goals. The Fighting Scots took a 2-1 lead on a goal by Leah Czechowski at 39:14. Just before the half ended, at 44:17, Gannon sent the match into the half tied at 2-2 thanks to an unassisted goal by Hannah Hays. Neither team would score in the second half or during two 10-minute overtime periods. The final 65 minutes saw the goalkeepers dominate. Anna Voelker finished with six saves for Edinboro, while Kennedy Solymosi had seven saves for Gannon. Edinboro had a 13-12 edge in shots.

MATCH STORYLINES

Edinboro looks to clinch a berth in the PSAC Tournament with a win at Gannon on Wednesday night. A tie may also do the trick, but a win definitely clinches. Bloomsburg in the PSAC East and Slippery Rock in the PSAC West have already clinched spots in the tournament. SRU has 33 points and Edinboro 30. The two teams will meet for the second time this year on Saturday, November 2. Edinboro has three games remaining and Slippery Rock has three.
First the Fighting Scots must play a Gannon team which is also in a battle for a spot in the tournament field. Edinboro has been riding an incredible string since the start of PSAC play. The Fighting Scots are 9-2-3 overall, but 9-0-3 in their last 12 outings and also in PSAC action. That's after being picked to finish sixth in the Western Division in the coaches' preseason poll.
Gannon has a -6-2 overall record and is 5-6-2 in league play. The Lady Knights have 17 points and are in sixth place in the division, one point behind Seton Hill and two behind Mercyhurst.
Both teams come off ties in their last matches. Edinboro and Clarion battled to a 0-0 tie in two overtimes on Wednesday, October 23, while Gannon and Cal U tied 3-3 this past Saturday.
Edinboro is ranked fifth in the latest United Soccer Coaches Atlantic Region rankings.
Ten different players have scored goals for Edinboro. Brittnie Spithaler and Danielle Chatten lead the team with 5 goals and 5 assists for 15 points. Chatten has moved into 11^th place in career goals with 22 goals, along with ranking 11^th in career points (59) and tied for sixth in career assists (15). Rebecca Manns has 3 goals and 4 assists, and is now tied for sixth in career assists with 15.
Sophomore Anna Voelker has been in goal for every minute and has a 0.93 GAA, good for sixth in the PSAC, with 6 shutouts, which ranks fourth in the PSAC.. She was named the PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Week after posting a pair of shutouts three weeks ago. She saw a streak of 371-plus minutes without allowing a goal come to an end at IUP.
Edinboro posted a 6-11-0 finish a year ago while fielding a young squad. Head coach Gary Kagiavas welcomes back nine starters for his 24th season as head coach. Kagiavas has a 227-180-40 record, all as Edinboro's only head coach. The Fighting Scots have qualified for the PSAC Playoffs 11 times, with seven of those in the last nine years. Entering the season, Kagiavas ranked 24^th among active Division II coaches in victories. In addition, he ranks second in wins among PSAC women's soccer coaches, exceeded only by West Chester's Betsy Anne Kempf-Townsley with 332 wins. He has been selected the PSAC Coach of the Year three times (2001, '05, '07).
Gannon holds a 15-8-5 lead in the all-time series and is 3-0-1 in the last four meetings. Edinboro last won in the magical 2015 campaign, beating the nationally-ranked Lady Knights twive in the postseason

UP NEXT

Edinboro has a potential showdown for first place at Slippery Rock on Saturday, November 2. The match gets underway at 1:00 p.m.
The Fighting Scots won the first meeting between the two on October 2, 2-1 in overtime.

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Players Mentioned

#10 Danielle Chatten: F; 5' 7"; Senior

#17 Brittany Hurey: F; 5' 0"; Junior

#13 Rebecca Manns: F; 5' 10"; Redshirt Junior

#26 Brittnie Spithaler: F; 5' 8"; Sophomore

#1 Anna Voelker: GK; 5' 4"; Sophomore

#30 Leah Czechowski: F; 5' 4"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#10 Danielle Chatten
: 5' 7"; Senior
: F

#17 Brittany Hurey
: 5' 0"; Junior
: F

#13 Rebecca Manns
: 5' 10"; Redshirt Junior
: F

#26 Brittnie Spithaler
: 5' 8"; Sophomore
: F

#1 Anna Voelker
: 5' 4"; Sophomore
: GK

#30 Leah Czechowski
: 5' 4"; Junior
: F