Men's Soccer Team Earns First PSUAC Victory

By: Matylda Zamudio

Mont Alto, Pa. -- The Penn State Beaver men's soccer team took on Penn State Mont Alto away on Wednesday in their first PSUAC match this season. The men have had some challenges during the beginning of the season by losing three of their first four games. But in their last game, Beaver had a dominant (13-0) performance against Southern State CC. Beaver aims to get ahead and record its first PSUAC victory.

Beaver gained possession of the ball early to start the first period. Midfielder Ashish Subba shot at Mont Alto's goal only 25 seconds in, but it was saved by the opposing goalie. The few minutes of the game went on, Beaver got into scoring territory once again. Defender Darrion Gilmore scored the game's first goal on an assist by defender Danylo Yakymov five minute into the game. Beaver controlled the pace of the game for the next 32 minutes, barretting Mont Alto's defenders at the front line and collectively attempted 13 shots on goal. 43 seconds later, defender Jacob Kosuda struck the ball right into Mont Alto's net, putting Beaver up 2-0. Less than six minutes later, Deontae Golden added another goal to the board by scoring on an assist by David Palmer. As the first period closed, Beaver was up three goals to zero.

As the second period began, Mont Alto looked frazzled and struggled to keep Beaver out of its defensive third. At the 61st minute of the game, Yakymov scored his second goal of the game, making the score 4-0. With four answered goals, Penn State Mont Alto became aggressive and launched a headshot and followed by a shot on goal in the next three minutes, but goalie Samuel Sharpless saved both shots. Frustration set in for Mont Alto in the final minutes of the game, as two offsides were called against them within a four-minute span. To seal the deal, David Palmer scored Beaver's final goal at the 87th minute. Despite staring defeat in the face with a minute left in the game, Mont Alto took its final opportunity to get on the board and shot at Beaver's net. However, goalie Jordan Herzog saved the final ball, leaving Beaver's final score at 5-0. 

Beaver is now 1-0 in the conference standing is scheduled to host Penn State Brandywine on Saturday, Sept. 22, for the team's second PSUAC matchup of the season. The game begins at  4 p.m.