University of Charleston men's soccer coach Chris Grassie has tough decisions to make throughout the course of a game, but choosing a player to take a penalty kick isn't one of them.
Every time Grassie has selected Golden Eagles standout Will Roberts to take a penalty kick, the junior has delivered, and that remained the case Saturday when UC earned a 2-0 victory over West Chester in an NCAA Division II Tournament Round of 32 game at Schoenbaum Stadium.
With the victory, UC (17-2-1), the No. 1 seed in the Atlantic Region, advances to the Sweet 16, where the Golden Eagles will play the winner of Sunday's game between Urbana and Mercyhurst.
"We are going up to LIU Post in Long Island [New York]," Grassie said. "It will be on Thursday at 10 a.m. so it is a quick turnaround. We will have to figure out the plane, train, or automobile to get up there."
In a scoreless game in the second half, Roberts stepped up and found the back of the net on a penalty kick with 41:42 left in the game that provided UC the game-winner against West Chester.
Seconds earlier, Jermaine Windster was taken down in the box to earn the penalty kick, and Roberts snuck the ball past West Chester goalkeeper James Wood into the lower left corner.
"I looked at the keeper and seen what he was feeling," Roberts said. "He went the right way but I put it enough in the corner where he couldn't get near it."
Roberts, who is the all-time leading scorer in UC men's soccer history with 60 career goals, is a perfect 5 for 5 on penalty kicks this season and hasn't missed in 13 career PK attempts.
"He is very good at it," Grassie said. "We did penalties the other day to prepare just in case and we have seven or eight guys that are really good at it, too.
"Will is a very composed gentleman. He has been in big situations and before he came here he played in front of big crowds. He knows the occasion and is cool, calm and collected. He is good."
Roberts was happy to deliver another one for UC.
"I keep practicing them and try to mix it up so the goalkeeper doesn't know where I am going," Roberts said. "It is great to hit them, especially when the fans come out. I want to step up and deliver for them. I have done it for three years and I don't feel the pressure anymore."
Roberts' penalty kick remained the lone goal of the game until Patrick Guier delivered an insurance goal with 3:11 left to give the Golden Eagles a commanding 2-0 lead.