McKeesport, PA. – The Penn State Greater Allegheny Soccer team (1-7-1, 0-5-1) returns home for the first time since October 1st when they host Penn State York (1-8-1, 1-6) on Saturday at 2 p.m. PSUGA has seen some positive signs over its last two games and is looking to end the 2019 season on a high note as the final two weeks play out.
They battled their hearts out in their last match-up but fell short to Penn State New Kensington 5-0. PSUGA’s defense battled throughout the afternoon, keeping New Kensington off the board for the first 17 minutes of the match with only nine players. New Kensington broke through in the 17th minute when Mitchel Kuczynski took a pass from Nolan Johngarlo and found the net to give New Kensington a 1-0 lead. They would add two more points before halftime and headed into the break ahead 3-0.
New Kensington added two more goals in the second half, and PSUGA could not convert on their offensive opportunities as they fell 5-0. It was a herculean effort from junior goalkeeper Colin Bucsok (Pittsburgh, PA./Thomas Jefferson HS) who set the single-game saves record making 20 saves on 25 shots on goal. He broke the previous record by one save, which had been held by Michael Anderson since the 2013 season.
The offense had one of it’s best performances of the season to this point getting off six shots, four on goal, in the loss. Mohammed Sawhel (Pittsburgh, PA.) and Kevin Kirby (Atlanta, GA./Mountain View HS) led the way with two shots apiece and each landing one on net. Namy Makiese (Pittsburgh, PA./Taylor Allderdice) and Justin Kindig (Harrisburg, PA./Central Dauphin HS) added the other two shots with each landing one on net.
Despite the team’s 0-5-1 conference start, these final three games will determine PSUGA’s chances of making the Penn State University Athletic Conference playoffs for the sixth straight year. They currently sit one game behind PSU-Mont Alto, who sits as the current number six seed in the PSUAC with a record of 2-4. If PSUGA can win their final three games, including a match-up with PSU-Mont Alto, and get some help, they could have a chance at sneaking in as the #6 seed.
But first, they have to face a Penn State York team that has dropped each of its last five games and fell to 1-6 in conference play this season. Their last match-up was against Penn State Lehigh Valley where they battled back but ended up falling 2-1. After falling behind 2-0 at halftime, Cole Wentz took a crosser from Joe Slazar and scored York’s only goal in the 78th minute.
Previous Match-ups
In eight previous match-ups with Penn State York, PSUGA has a record of 4-3-1, and their last match-up came on October 24th, 2019, when PSUGA came away with a 4-1 win. Former Lion Blemo Nurkic led the way with two goals in the game while Prajal Sharma and Chris Rossi each added goals in the win.
Kick-off for Saturday’s game is scheduled for 2 p.m. and will be part of the annual PSUGA Soccer and Volleyball Recruit Day. The game will be played at the Francis McClure Intermediate School located at 500 Longvue Drive, White Oak, Pa. 15131.
