Monarchs Battle Past Lions
ALTOONA, Pa. – King's College fended off the Penn State Altoona men's soccer team on Friday evening, when the Monarchs grabbed a 5-2 victory over the Lions at Spring Run Stadium.
King's (1-1) got a pair of goals from August Axtman, along with scores from Fabio Massa, Nik Verma, and Alex Showalter.
Penn State Altoona (0-4) had its best offensive showing of the young season, scoring two goals and attempting 10 shots. Seif Magd (Wallingford, PA/Strath Haven) and Connor Kiley (Downingtown, PA/Downingtown West) each scored goals for the Lions, with Kiley's goal being the first of his collegiate career.
Tanner Yaw (Palmyra, PA/Palmyra) made four saves between the pipes for Penn State Altoona.
King's scored the game's first goal early, when a deflection in the box came to Massa, who fired a short-range shot past the keeper at 8:32 to make it 1-0. Verma increased the visitors' lead to 2-0 at 22:16, when his free kick from just outside the top edge of the goal box found the bottom left corner of the net.
Penn State Altoona got on the scoreboard before halftime to cut its deficit in half. Brant Aughenbaugh sent a pass up the left side of the field to Magd, who dribbled into the box and floated a tough-angle shot overtop the King's goalkeeper and into the top right corner of the net at 32:19 to make it 2-1.
The Lions tied the game in the early stages of the second half. Following several deflections in the box, the ball came to Kiley, whose shot beat the keeper at 52:49 to knot the score 2-2.
But King's reclaimed the lead just over seven minutes later. Dylan Ramage's free kick outside the box deflected off of Axtman and into the goal at 59:52 to put the Monarchs back on top, 3-2.
King's made it 4-2 at 75:17 when Showalter took Ramage's cross in the box and beat the keeper with a shot from 12 yards. The Monarchs picked up their fifth goal of the night at 86:31, when Axtman recorded his second tally of the game on a penalty shot.
King's led Penn State Altoona in shots (19-10), shots on goal (10-2), and corner kicks (12-2).
Magd and Kiley accounted for the Lions' two shots on goal, with Kiley attempting a game-high four shots. Jordan Francis (East Stroudsburg, PA/Notre Dame East Stroudsburg) and Jack Price (Unionville, PA/Unionville) attempted two shots each.
Penn State Altoona men's soccer returns to the pitch tomorrow, Saturday, September 7, when the Lions will host Bryn Athyn College for a 2:00 p.m. game at Spring Run Stadium.
