The semifinals of the Eastern Pennsylvania qualifying tournament for the 2015 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup couldn’t have been more different than the quarterfinals. After a round of eight that saw few goals and three upsets, 12 goals were scored in the semis, and both favorites, West Chester United and Vereinigung Erzgebirge, advanced to the tournament final.

West Chester United 3:2 Salone FC

Two-time reigning champion West Chester United was pushed to its limits by Salone FC, but the top seed managed a 3-2 victory over the only Philadelphia-based club in the competition.

West Chester came into the match dealing with some injury issues, as former pro Jeremiah White could not play while recovering from an ankle problem. Despite that, United still managed to jump on top early. Mike Lodge cut in from the left side of the field in the second minute and curled a shot over the Salone goalkeeper from just outside the box to give his side a 1-0 lead.

That lead was short-lived, however, as Salone answered back a minute later. A cross into the West Chester box was blocked out to Salone’s Junisa Sandi, who then sliced the ball off the outside of his right foot over the keeper and into the top corner to tie the game at 1-1.

“I’m really impressed at how Salone handled themselves,” West Chester coach Blaise Santangelo said. “We got off strong, but Salone played some really nice soccer.”

Sandi’s goal gave the strong contingent of away supporters something to cheer about, which in turn motivated Salone to continue pressing forward. That pressure culminated in a penalty kick in the 23rd minute, when a Salone player was tripped in the box. Sandi stepped up to take the kick and calmly sent the keeper the wrong way on his attempt.

Down 2-1, United pushed forward and found an equalizer in the 37th minute. A ball that was crossed into the Salone penalty area caused a mad scramble as West Chester United players tried to get shots off while Salone players desperately tried to clear the ball. Eventually United’s Justin McCall gathered the ball at the penalty spot and side-footed the ball into the bottom left corner of the net to tie the game at 2-2.

Despite the wild first half, Santangelo said that he was confident heading into the break. He said, “At halftime, we felt that we were going to be okay. We felt that we were getting away from Salone’s coverage, and we thought that we could get in on goal against them.”

Santangelo was proven correct as West Chester created the best chances of the second half. And, in the 66th minute, former Penn State defender Mark Fetrow put the home side up for good. Andrew Kummerer curled in a free kick from about 30 yards out that found the head of the tall center back. Fetrow’s game-winning header looped up and over the keeper and several defenders before finding the back of the net.

With a 3-2 lead, West Chester concentrated on possessing the ball, which limited Salone’s chances. In the end, the away side just did not have enough to find a tying goal.

Salone manager Foday Turay said, “It was a good game. We gave it our best. That’s soccer…someone has to win. We’ll definitely be back next year.”

West Chester moves on to the final on Dec. 15, where it will host Vereinigung Erzgebirge. United is looking for a third Eastern PA Open Cup championship in a row. “Our guys are ready to go back to another final,” Santangelo said. “We’re excited to move forward and try for a third-straight cup.”

Vereinigung Erzgebirge 7-0 Upper Moreland Celtic

In the other semifinal, Vereinigung Erzgebirge scored early and often in a rout of Upper Moreland Celtic. Paul Dudley scored a first-half hat trick, and four other players added goals in the 7-0 victory.

Dudley’s goals came in the 2nd, 15th, and 33rd minutes. Also scoring were Nate Baker (30’), Artie Taylor (50’), Mike McKee (62’), and John Fazio (65’).

“We just had to go out and get a few goals,” VE manager Rob Oldfield said. “They didn’t have the depth to cause us too many problems. We just got a couple goals early, then we got to sit on the lead.”

VE, which has been playing soccer since the 1930s, is looking to win its first Eastern PA Open Cup championship since 2009 and its first US Open Cup berth since 2002. The club is also in the final of the Eastern PA Amateur Cup, marking only the third time in club history that it has made both cup finals in the same year (1991 and 2002). VE will host the Amateur Cup final on Dec. 8 against Phoenix SC.

Region I has decided to use the winners of both the Open Cup and the Amateur Cup as its qualifiers to the 2015 US Open Cup, meaning VE still has two chances to make it to the tournament.