In the blink of an eye, West Chester showed why they are the defending USASA National Amateur Cup Champions.
Scoring three goals within the first ten minutes and another before the half, the top seed ran through and over the Ukranian Nationals en route to 7-1 victory in the second EPSA semifinal at Bryn Athyn College Sunday afternoon.
Pinning the Ukies back from the opening whistle, West Chester broke the game open in the fourth minute when Luke Thomas dribbled through the defense down the left side and buried a shot low to the far corner. Three minutes later, Kyle Tucker set up Mason Miller for a quick second that appeared to stun the Ukranians because after the tap off, West Chester marched back down the field and scored a third when Tucker slotted home a cutback from Miller.
Even after the third goal, the Ukranians struggled to get out of their end, and it was full control by West Chester, who ran their offense through Tucker, Marcus Brenes, and Ayoub Mouhou and countered with quick turnovers and well- developed attacks. The only things stopping them were one turf monster, a potential no-call PK, and several saves by Kiernan Webb, who stood on his head throughout the game. West Chester added a fourth before the break on a perfectly timed through ball that Ridge Robinson walked into the goal, sending his team to the bench at halftime full of confidence while their counterparts considered numerous tactical adjustments.
Not much changed in the second half, but the Ukranians created a good opportunity early when striker Maksym Samoilich broke through the line and sent a low volley on target that forced Tino Knies into a rare save. Less than fifteen minutes into the second half, Thomas King added a fifth, and Samoilich countered with a tidy finish to pull a goal back for the Ukies.
The rest of the way, it was the Kiernan Webb show. The Ukranian keeper made multiple saves while under constant duress and appeared to control the bleeding, but two late strikes by Mackie Sacerrelos and Justin Thomas put the game well beyond reach.
“I told the guys before the match started, let’s focus on all the simple things,” West Chester coach Blaise Santangelo said after the game about his team’s quick start. “Let’s be clean. Let’s move the ball fast. Let’s defend. Put pressure on the ball. These are all the things that you need to do to be playing for a final next week.”
West Chester, the lone local participant in the 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, will have a busy spring ahead and will learn their first round opponent in January. They secured their Open Cup berth after winning the USASA Amateur Cup last August, beating RWB Adria 4-3 in extra time. A mainstay in the historic United Soccer League of Pennsylvania, West Chester has won the last three league titles. This season, West Chester entered the American Premier Soccer League as well and tops the Delaware River Conference with an 11-0 record.
The first EPSA semifinal had much more drama as Vereinigung Erzgebirge came from behind to top Philadelphia SC 4-2.
“Breakfast at Bryn Athyn” got off to a slow start as both teams played their way into the game. Philadelphia energized the stalemate when midfielder Mohamed Elgayar beat keeper Steve Paul from distance but not the crossbar. Several minutes later, VE pulled keeper Daniel Saint Pol out of his box, and after a failed clearance, Connor Budnaiak’s long-range attempt lost its steam and was cleared away by defender Henry Guzman.
VE drew first thirty minutes into the game when Antoine Hoppenot was fouled in the box after running onto a combination between Kevin Smolyn and Justin Ruth. Hoppenot found the right corner with his penalty, but Saint Pol got a piece of it before it went in off the post
Five minutes from the half, Philadelphia’s Rasheed Thomas got in behind the VE backline with a display of dribbling skill, but he couldn’t find the final touch. Shortly after, Bobby Hennessy had a look at the other end, only to be denied by Saint Pol. VE pushed again in the closing seconds of stoppage time, and Saint Pol denied Ruth not once but twice from close range, the second time pulling the ball out of the bottom corner for the game’s best save.
The teams came back out after the break, and once again, VE pushed the pace of the game. Saint Pol denied Hennessy from close range less than ten minutes into the half, and after a few missed chances, VE appeared to be headed toward a second.
Philadelphia had other plans. Jesse Weick finished off a counter, started by Sean Touey, to tie the game at 1-1 against the run of play. But there was no denying Philadelphia’s determination as they added a second minutes later. Elgayar sent in a dangerous free kick from distance that caught Paul off guard, and Touey followed up with a clean finish, side-footing the ball into the net to put Philadelphia up 2-1.
VE equalized five minutes later when Hennessy got past the Philadelphia center backs and found the bottom corner, and the game shifted back and forth as the sides adjusted tactically. Carter Houlihan asserted his presence in the counter-attack down the left side, pushing for a winner, and alongside Ruth and Hennessy, swung the momentum back VE’s way in the final minutes.
Captain Kevin Smolyn put VE back on top, heading home a flick on from Hennessy following a scramble in front of the net. Seconds from the end, Budnaiak sealed the game after he headed home a rebound from tight-angled shot by Alex Hajj that Saint Pol pushed across the goalmouth. In the dying seconds, Philadelphia wasn’t finished. Touey smacked the underside of the bar on a free kick that would have required a VAR look if present, but it may have been a case of too little too late as time ran out shortly after.
“It feels great,” VE’s Budnaiak said after the game after scoring his second-ever header in his career. “Once we scored the second goal, it kind of felt like we just had to hold them off for a couple minutes. It felt like the life was sucked out of them at that point.”
Smolyn was happy about his team’s ability to battle back from a goal down, something they struggled doing in their Open Cup qualifying loss to Oaklyn less than a month ago. “We responded well,” he said about his team’s adversity today. “They’re a good side, so going down by one we knew we just had to get the next goal to pull ourselves back into it or else we were going to be out of another cup this season.”
VE is currently on top of the USLPA with a 4-1-0 record, their only blemish a 2-2 draw with Colonial less than a month ago. The Warminster club also reached the Third Round of qualifying for the Open Cup, crashing out 3-1 to Oaklyn United, who also plays in the APSL with Philadelphia SC. West Chester trails VE in the USLPA with a 4-1-0 record but will be ready to beat their rivals after an early season loss in the league.
“VE’s the top team in the fall,” Santangelo said about the future matchup. “They got us early, and we played a lot of soccer and different competitions to try to get us up, bringing in some new players, college grads are coming now, so it’s always going to be a battle.”
“It’s a perfect state cup final, the two best teams in the state” Smolyn said. “We’re looking forward to it. We love playing them.”
West Chester and VE will be back for “Breakfast at Bryn Athyn” next Sunday, December 14th. Kickoff is scheduled for 10 a.m. Though both teams may have already qualified to the USASA Region I competition, there is no doubt they will be eager to celebrate a trophy in front of their rivals. Last season, West Chester defeated VE in the group stage of the Amateur Cup, handing them an 8-2 thumping. West Chester also beat VE in the EPSA Open Cup final last spring, capping their fourth consecutive cup double, one of the more impressive stretches for an amateur team in the area’s history.
