West Chester United fall just short in Werner Fricker Cup final

West Chester United fell just short in the USASA Region I Werner Fricker Cup Final to Long Island side Leros SC on Sunday afternoon by a scoreline of 3-2.

The cup final took place at Ukrainian American Sports Center in North Wales, PA. West Chester had just won a cup final the day before, the USASA Region I Amateur Cup, which includes teams from USASA Region I member leagues. The Werner Fricker Cup, no longer a national competition, is an open competition accepting entry from any amateur club within the region.

The match kicked off in groggy conditions at 2 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. It was a quiet first half, with teams splitting possession and chances fairly evenly. The first half ended 0-0 with everything to play for in the second.

The second half continued similarly to the first, until a sloppy backpass by a Leros SC defender was intercepted by Lehigh and Pitt alum Josh Luchini, who was able to slot it past the goalkeeper for a 1-0 lead in the 61st minute.

West Chester players celebrated, but the celebration did not last very long as the ensuing kickoff by Leros SC was shot directly at the West Chester goal, beating West Chester goalkeeper Alex Geczy from midfield. With the game now tied 1-1, all the wind was taken out of West Chester’s sails.

Unbelievable equalizer today from Leros SC against West Chester United in the @USASARegion1 Werner Fricker Cup Final – Leros went on to win 3-2 pic.twitter.com/mfbO62rifh

— Evan (@evanknowsball) June 15, 2025

A third goal came within a minute again, as a forced turnover was intercepted by Leros and played through on goal where the Leros forward finished past Geczy, turning a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead in a two minute span.

West Chester continued to press and work their way back into the game, but the Leros defense stood tall to defend many crosses. A third goal for Leros came in the 81st minute, which seemed to ice the match. However, prolific West Chester forward Ridge Robinson arrived with a goal only a minute after in the 82nd minute; the third goal in the match that came within a minute of the goal prior.

West Chester hurried the ball back to the halfway line and searched for an equalizer, but could not create another clean chance. Leros held on to win the match 3-2 and take the Werner Fricker Cup home to Long Island. The loss was the second straight for West Chester in the competition, which they last won in 2022, which was also the last year of the national competition, which they won in Tennessee.