PSUAC Men's Soccer Championship Information
PSUAC To Welcome Four Teams to Panzer Stadium for Men's & Women's Soccer Championships
MEN'S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP PAGE
WOMEN'S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP PAGE
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State University Athletic Conference will host its 2024 Men's and Women's Soccer Championships at Panzer Stadium on the University Park campus on Tuesday, November 5th. Four different campuses will be represented in the two games, with a guaranteed new champion in the men's game.
Penn State Mont Alto will look to win its fourth consecutive women's soccer crown, dominating the sport since the COVID year pause. Head coach Mary Miller and her team have not lost a conference game since 2019, including in the playoffs, going a perfect 29-0 since 2021. They'll face rival Penn State Schuylkill at 4:00 p.m. on what is slated to be a beautiful fall day in central Pennsylvania as the top two seeds in the tournament square off.
Schuylkill led the PSUAC in goals scored with 85 on the season, more than double its nearest competitor, which happens to be Mont Alto. But in their two regular season meetings, Mont Alto's defense stood tall and held Schuylkill to just one goal in each game. Mont Alto won both prior meetings this season by a 2-1 clip.
The men's championship match will feature top-seeded Penn State Lehigh Valley, the runner-up in both 2021 and 2022. They'll meet Penn State Greater Allegheny, the league's third seed for the second straight season. Greater Allegheny upset two-seed Penn State York in the semifinals to vie for its first men's soccer championship in program history. Both teams offer stout defenses, with Lehigh Valley allowing just 0.93 goals per game and Greater Allegheny allowing 1.83 per contest in 2024.
Lehigh Valley won the only regular season match-up, a 2-1 triumph in both teams' conference opener in mid-September.
HOW THEY GOT HERE
With three teams making the women's soccer postseason, Mont Alto earned a bye into the championship match as the number one seed after an unbeaten 6-0 mark in PSUAC regular season play. Schuylkill beat Penn State Hazleton in the semifinals on Saturday, their third such victory over their I-81 rivals this season.
Both Greater Allegheny and Lehigh Valley received byes into the semifinals of the men's tournament. Greater Allegheny snuck in a goal during the 69th minute to beat York and held off their challengers for the final 20 minutes to advance to the championship. Lehigh Valley toppled New Kensington 2-1 in a tough semifinal, scoring a goal in each half, including Heriberto Hernandez's game winning goal in the 55th minute.
WHO TO WATCH
Lehigh Valley has been without its top goal scorer Jerod Younes for the last half of the season, but Jack Montesdeoca has stepped up from his midfield position to become the go-to scoring threat. Shawn Venet and Michael Meyers, Jr. also pose scoring threats, while Mahdi Ali adds offensive prowess as both a goal scorer and passer.
Greater Allegheny is led by its goalie Chris Klinger, a multi-time PSUAC All-Conference selection. Max Whitson is the top scorer for Greater Allegheny with 13 on the season, and Mason Haffa added six goals and three assists in his first season.
On the women's side, Schuylkill boasts four players with double-digit goals scored. Led by Grace Fenstermacher with 21, Zoe Gannon added 16 and Brittney Holland 13 on the season. First year midfielder Olivia Dress added 11 goals and tied for the team-high with eight assists.
Schuylkill will need to push shots past an experienced keeper for Mont Alto, as Sophie Bowersox was named the co-Defender of the Year with Gannon. Grace Lochner leads the scoring threat for Mont Alto with nine goals on the season, while Madison Eberly added seven goals and seven assists. Alexis Mariano also added seven goals on the season.
WHAT'S NEXT
The winner of the PSUAC Men's Soccer Championship will receive an automatic berth into the United States Collegiate Athletic Association's Division II Men's Soccer Championship tournament scheduled for November 13-17 in Pittsburgh, Pa. The loser will await its fate and hope for an at-large bid.
The winner of the PSUAC Women's Soccer Championship will need to qualify for an at-large bid, meaning they need to finish in the top six of the final USCAA Women's Soccer Coaches Poll to qualify. The PSUAC does not meet the USCAA's requirement of six teams in order to receive an automatic bid for the conference champion.
HOW TO FOLLOW AND WATCH
Fans can attend the action live at Panzer Stadium--there is no admission charge for the event. Fans can also watch the games live and archived on the PSU Campus Athletics Network by downloading our app on their phone, tablet, or smart device (including TVs and streaming sticks) or by watching online at www.psucampusathletics.com. Search "PSU Campus Athletics Network" to find us!
FAN INFORMATION
For more details surrounding your trip to State College and the University Park campus, please check out our fan information page linked below and also available on our Championship page linked at the top.