EAST STROUDSBURG - Sophomore forward Kevin Lombardo came off the bench to score the game's only goal with 1:54 left in the first half and senior goalkeeper Troy Hernandez posted his eighth shutout of the season as East Stroudsburg University blanked Millersville, 1-0, to reach the PSAC men's soccer championship game on Wednesday night at Eiler-Martin Stadium.
Lombardo scored on a play set up by senior forward Shastri Spencer after Spencer dribbled past his defender on the left wing, drove to the touchline and hit a perfectly-delivered ball for Lombardo to finish inside the six-yard box. The goal was the second of Lombardo's career and gave Spencer his seventh assist of the season.
ESU will play for the PSAC championship on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Shippensburg, which beat Slippery Rock 5-0 in the other semifinal. The Red Raiders (14-5), picked last in the PSAC preseason poll, have won 11 straight games entering the final. They won the regular season meeting between the two schools, 1-0, on Oct. 6.
Hernandez's three saves included an acrobat stop of a point-blank header from Matt Kadoch 12 minutes into the second half following one of Millersville's seven corner kicks.
The Marauders (11-5-2), ranked No. 8 in this week's NSCAA Division II poll, held an 11-7 advantage in shots, including 8-4 in the second half, but were unable to beat Hernandez and the Warriors' back line of junior Josh Arcona, sophomores Suane McLeish and Steve Sollecito and freshman Khriswayne Wallace. Redshirt seniors Danny Drago and Michael Kane also excelled in the midfield and won a number of balls for the Warriors in the air.
ESU improves to 18-1 in home PSAC playoff games under head coach Jerry Sheska and will play for the 20th PSAC title in school history and the 16th under Sheska's guidance on Saturday. The Warriors have won each of the last 13 PSAC championship games that they have played in, including a PSAC-record seven straight from 1997-2003 and most recently back-to-back crowns in 2006 and 2007.
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