#3 ALFRED STATE, #4 PITT-GREENSBURG ADVANCE IN MEN'S SOCCER TOURNAMENT
No. 3 Alfred State College and No. 4 Pitt-Greensburg each picked up first round victories in the AMCC Championsip Tournament to advance to the semifinal round.
No. 3 Alfred State College and No. 4 Pitt-Greensburg each picked up first round victories in the AMCC Championsip Tournament to advance to the semifinal round. Alfred State defeated No. 6 Hilbert College 6-1, while Pitt-Greensburg earned the 2-0 victory over No. 5 Penn State Altoona.
Alfred State 6, Hilbert 1
For the first time in program history, the Pioneers hosted a postseason match on their home turf, and they didn't let that opportunity go to waste. In the fourth minute, Jackson Powers opened up the scoring for Alfred State. Gavin Rice launched a cross that found the right leg of Powers, putting the Pioneers up 1-0. Hilbert came back quickly, scoring a goal in the 16 minute from Carter Burke. The match wasn't tied for long, as Rice knocked in a goal in the 21 minute from a Nuri Sarbudak assist. Then in the 39 minute, Alfred State scored another goal as Garrett Potts landed a shot from a Will Bowen pass. Potts' first goal of the season gave the Pioneers some cushion before the half. Alfred State scored three more goals in the second half. Bowen, Jack Leahy and Riley Warren-Nichols all found the net.
The Pioneers travel to play the No. 2 seed Mounties on Wednesday, October 2. Alfred State lost the previous match against Mount Aloysius 2-1 in a windy night at Pioneer Stadium.
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Pitt-Greensburg 2, Penn St. Altoona 0
The Pitt-Greensburg men's soccer team hosted its first playoff game at Ridilla Field since 2014. The Bobcats defeated the Lions of Penn State Altoona 2-0 on the back of a PK goal by freshman Caleb Yuricha and a laser from junior Jason Argueta. The two goals came within three minutes of each other in the second half of the game. The Bobcats outshot the Lions 11-1 as Pitt-Greensburg had four shots on goal. The game was a physical matchup as there were 18 fouls and four cards given out through the match. Yuricha led the Bobcats with four shots, two of them being on goal. Defender Robert Reed also had a shot on goal as well as Argueta. Five Bobcats played the full 90, including junior keeper Danny Rodgers who didn't have to make a save throughout the match.
The Bobcats will now have a rematch with the Lions of Penn Sate Behrend on Wednesday in Erie, PA. The Bobcats lost to the Lions 4-0 on Oct. 22, but were only trailing 1-0 at half.