FC Monmouth Defeats West Chester United SC For First-Ever Playoff Victory

WEST CHESTER, PA – FC Monmouth defeated West Chester United SC, 3-1, on Friday, July 16 in the Keystone Conference Semifinals. It marked the first postseason victory in club history for FC Monmouth.

The game was a rematch of a regular season meeting which was won by West Chester, 2-0, on Saturday, June 26.

After West Chester registered the game’s first shot, FC Monmouth forward Walter Calderon recorded three-straight shots, all of which had to be either saved or blocked by West Chester. Both clubs traded chances as the half came to a close, with the game remaining scoreless.

The second half began with scoring chances for both sides, with both goalkeepers coming up with big stops. FC Monmouth opened the scoring in the 61st minute as Calderon scored after the ball went off of the hands of the West Chester goalkeeper. Six minutes later, midfielder Chase Covello played a ball into the box off a set piece, where defender Daniel Pizzimenti flicked it to the feet of Calderon towards the back post. He was able to find the back of the net again, doubling the FC Monmouth advantage.

Goalkeeper Matt Perrella recorded two crucial saves in the final 10 minutes. Right as the clock passed the 90th minute, Calderon scored his third of the game off a feed from midfielder Giuseppe Barone. West Chester scored in the final moments off a penalty kick, making the final score 3-1.

AT THE MICROPHONE

“This group is great, it’s my honor to coach them. It’s our honor as a club to have these guys play for us. They care about it. For most of them it’s their first year playing for us and they care about it more than anything else. They want to win and when we put a full team on the field we feel confident. We knew what West Chester brought to the table, and we were able to match their intensity. We were able to do some things that we’ve probably never been able to do against West Chester before, especially coming here. We were excited about that, and we are excited to go up to Motown.” – Head Coach Brian Woods

“It was a difficult game against a very good opponent. We played well, and I’m just happy I could help us move on. Motown is a familiar opponent, it will be a very difficult game [on Sunday], but a lot of us have played against them before so it will be a good contest.” – Forward Walter Calderon

“It was a tough game, they’re a good team that trains a lot and finished in first place. We came here as the underdog but we knew we had a very good team. We played hard, we attacked well, defended well, and we were good in transition. It’s a real positive for us to get through the game and to the final on Sunday.” – Midfielder Giuseppe Barone

NOTES AND NUMBERS

Calderon has scored 15 goals in eight games this season (regular and postseason), and has scored three or more goals in four of those contests.

Perrella recorded four saves in the contest, bringing his overall total to 39. He is one save away from tying Scott Weigel for the club record.

Covello, who played in his 20th game for FC Monmouth, moved into a tie with former midfielder Dylan Fogerty for second all-time in club history. He also became the second player in club history to eclipse 1,500 minutes (Zachary Pereira).

Pizzimenti’s assist was his second of the season. FC Monmouth defenders now have two goals and three assists on the season.

For the second consecutive season, the fourth seed has upset the number one seed in the Keystone Conference Playoffs.

West Chester was ranked third in the NPSL coming into the playoffs.

NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE

FC Monmouth will travel to face FC Motown in the Keystone Conference Final on Sunday, July 18, with a kickoff time TBD.