EAST STROUDSBURG – Redshirt senior midfielder Michael Kane scored the game-winning goal with 1:38 left in the first overtime to send East Stroudsburg University to the PSAC men’s soccer postseason with a 1-0 victory over Bloomsburg late Saturday night at Eiler-Martin Stadium.
The Warriors (12-6, 6-3) will be the No. 2 seed in next week’s conference tournament and host Millersville in the semifinals on Wednesday night at 6 p.m. Shippensburg in the top seed, and the No. 4 seed will be either Gannon, Mercyhurst or Slippery Rock depending on the result of Sunday’s Gannon-Mercyhurst game.
Kane scored his fifth goal of the season and second game-winner, both in overtime in PSAC games. He came up with the winning goal in a 2-1 victory vs. Gannon on Oct. 2, and also had a goal and an assist in a 3-2 (2OT) win over Millersville on Sept. 25.
Senior goalkeeper Troy Hernandez made three saves in the final five minutes of regulation, including two outstanding stops of shots by Bryce Shaffer and Francis Miller, to keep the game scoreless before Kane scored inside the six-yard box on assists from senior forward Shastri Spencer and junior forward Greg Schook.
Hernandez finished with four saves, while Bloomsburg goalkeeper Bernie Roell had nine saves and turned away sophomore forward Kevin Lombardo’s 25-yard blast early in the overtime session. The Warriors outshot the Huskies 19-9, including 6-0 in less than nine minutes of overtime action.
The Warriors recognized their five seniors before kickoff – Kane, Hernandez, Spencer, midfielder Danny Drago and midfielder Drew Repsher, all starters. Hernandez posted his seventh shutout of the season and Drago made his 86th career start.
ESU will make its 23rd PSAC playoff appearance in 29 seasons under head coach Jerry Sheska, who has led his alma mater to 15 of the 19 conference titles in school history.
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