Sept. 24, 2006

Final Stats

Slippery Rock, Pa. - Lock Haven handed The Rock a 3-0 setback Sunday afternoon in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference action on James W. Egli Soccer Field and, thus, literally puts The Rock on a rough road as it seeks to return to the conference playoffs.

Sunday's outcome leaves SRU (6-5 overall, 6-3 PSAC) and Lock Haven (7-4, 6-3) deadlocked for third place in the PSAC standings.

And that is a precarious place for The Rock to be as it prepares for a four-game PSAC road trip.

Before returning home for an Oct. 11 date with conference rival Millersville, the Green and White will visit second-place West Chester next Wednesday, Shippensburg on Sept. 30, Kutztown on Oct. 3 and fifth-place California U. of Pa. on Oct. 7.

After hosting Millersville on Oct. 11 and Wheeling Jesuit in the home finale on Oct. 14, The Rock -- which played nine of its first 11 games on home turf -- closes out its regular-season schedule with road games at East Stroudsburg (Oct. 18) and Bloomsburg (Oct. 21).

The current PSAC standings show East Stroudsburg in first place with 23 points, followed by West Chester with 21, The Rock and Lock Haven 18 each, California 12, Shippensburg 9, Kutztown 6, Millersville 5 and Bloomsburg 4.

Each conference win earns a team three points in the standings, while a PSAC tie is worth one point.

The top four teams in the conference at the end of regular-season competition will advance to the PSAC playoffs.

The Rock earned its first conference playoff berth in 20 seasons a year ago and made the most of the opportunity when it won its first PSAC title in 31 seasons.

Sunday, The Rock was clearly outplayed as Lock Haven outshot SRU by a 23-7 margin that included an 11-3 advantage in shots on goal.

Sophomore goalie Brandon McQuillen recorded eight saves for SRU.