ERIE, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend men's soccer team will host the annual Herb Lauffer Memorial Soccer Tournament this weekend at the soccer complex, beginning on Friday, Sep. 1 and finishing on Saturday, Sep. 2. The Lions will battle Alfred at 5:00 p.m. in the first game of the tournament.
Weekend Schedule/Live Coverage:
Friday
September 1: Behrend vs. Alfred, 5:00 p.m. (Video | Live Stats)
September 1: North Central vs. Baldwin Wallace, 7:30 p.m. (Video | Live Stats)
Saturday
September 2: Consolation Game, 5:00 p.m. (Video)
September 2: Championship Game, 7:30 p.m. (Video)
Behrend News & Notes:
* For the second consecutive season, the Lions were selected as the favorites to win the AMCC
* Last season, Behrend was edged out by Mount Aloysius in penalty kicks, 5-4, in the AMCC Championship game
* The Lions would move on to compete in the ECAC Championships, defeating Pitt-Greensburg and Alvernia in the first round and semifinals
* The men fell by a score of 3-1 to Rutgers-Newark Reading in the ECAC championship game to finish the 2022 with an overall record of 15-3-5 and 6-0-1 in conference play
* Behrend's roster features 31 players, including 10 seniors and seven newcomers
* The Lions return nine AMCC All-Conference award winners from a season, including AMCC Defensive Player of the Year and senior goalkeeper Sam York
* York ranked first in conference in shutouts (13) and fifth in goals-against average (.47), while only allowing 10 goals to also lead the conference with a .855 save percentage
* First Team All-Conference returners are junior midfielder Blake Cooper (Murrysville, PA), senior midfielder John Ziobro (Westtown, NY), senior defender Justin LeDonne (Murrysville, PA), and senior midfielder Andrew Cassano (Bethel Park, PA)
* Second Team All-Conference returners are forward Johnathan Swann (Allison Park, PA) and midfielder Jac Caputo (Pittsburgh, PA), while Justin Hockenberger (Spencerport, NY) and Zak Schwarzel (South Park, PA) were third team selections last season
* Head coach Dan Perritano is in his 30th year and enters the season as 10th winningest coach in Division III men's soccer history, amassing 383 career victories. Perritano is assisted by Chris Ralph who is in second season on the sidelines
Meet the Opposition:
* Alfred posted a 4-8-4 overall record a season ago
* The Saxons return 19 players and have added 11 newcomers and three transfers
* The Lions defeated the Saxons 6-3 in their last matchup during the 2019 season and now lead the series with an overall record of 7-6-1
* North Central finished last season with a record of 17-1-4
* The Cardinals finished first in the CCIW regular season before defeating North Park University in the CCIW tournament finals to punch their ticket to their second NCAA playoff appearance
* In the first round of the NCAA Division III Championships, the Cardinals defeated Wisconsin-Superior by a score of 3-2, but fell to St. Olaf in the second round, 2-1, in double overtime
* North Central returns 30 players to the field this year, including five players who were selected to the All-CCIW First Team a season ago
* Twenty newcomers make up the 2023 roster with 18 being freshman and two transfers
* The Cardinals enter the season ranked #20 in Division III men's soccer
* In the two teams only matchup in 2014, Behrend defeated North Central by a score of 2-1
* Baldwin Wallace ended the 2022 season with an overall record of 11-6-2
* The Yellow Jackets have 19 returners from last year and 17 freshmen taking the field this season
* Behrend defeated Baldwin Wallace 4-1 during the 2021 season and lead the series by a record of 9-4-1
