Oct. 7, 2006
Final Stats
California, Pa. -
Jeff Hamley buried a penalty shot into the back of the net with just over two minutes left to play in regulation time Saturday afternoon to lift The Rock past hosting California U. of Pa.
On the other end of the field, Rock goalie Brandon McQuillen turned aside five shots on goal by the Vulcans and recorded his seventh shutout of the season.
In the process, the 1-2, Hamley-McQuillen combination moved The Rock (9-6 overall, 9-4 PSAC) to the threshold of a berth in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference playoffs for the second successive seasons.
The Rock could clinch that playoff berth on Wednesday, when it hosts Millersville in a 2 p.m. game on James W. Egli Soccer Field.
The significance of that playoff berth is that SRU waited 24 seasons before finally returning to the PSAC playoffs a year ago -- then added icing to the celebratory cake by winning the program's first conference title in 31 seasons.
The taste of victory Saturday was sweetened by the fact that the win virtually eliminated California, the team SRU defeated in the conference finals a year ago, from this year's playoff chase.
Thanks to Saturday's win, The Rock is one PSAC win or two California conference-game losses away from locking up a playoff berth.
East Stroudsburg currently leads the PSAC standings with 32 points, followed by Lock Haven with 30 and both The Rock and West Chester with 27. California is in fifth place with 18 points.
The Rock owns the tiebreaker advantage vs. California if the two teams finish the season with the same point total.
The conference standings are determined by a points system that awards three points for a PSAC win and one point for a conference-game tie.
In addition to its game vs. Millersville on Wednesday, The Rock still has games vs. East Stroudsburg and Bloomsburg on its conference schedule.
California, meanwhile, must face a Murderer's Row of a schedule down the stretch as the Vulcans will face East Stroudsburg, West Chester and Lock Haven, as well as Shippensburg.
