The stage has been set for the 2015 AMCC men's soccer championship, with #1 Mt. Aloysius hosting #2 Penn St. Behrend on Saturday afternoon. Mt. Aloysius is seeking their first conference title in program history, while Behrend, winners of seven previous championships, is looking for their third straight AMCC title.
Mt. Aloysius 1, Penn St. Altoona 0
The Mount Aloysius men's soccer team defeated visiting Penn State Altoona by a final score of 1-0 in an AMCC semifinal matchup on Wednesday afternoon. With the victory, the Mounties advance to the AMCC championship match for the first time in program history. The Mounties put forth a strong defensive effort through Wednesday's match, limiting the Lions to eight shots total and four shots on goal. Junior GK Justin Hann stopped four shots while registering his fourth shutout of the season. Despite holding a 12-3 advantage in shots, the Mounties entered halftime tied 0-0 with Altoona. The Mounties got off to a great start in the second half. Just four minutes into the second period, junior F Kevin Ouellette got behind the defense after a header from junior M Jim Smith and tucked in a shot with his left foot to give Mount Aloysius a 1-0 advantage. Ouellette had a golden opportunity five minutes later after Smith slotted a pass across the box, but his shot went just wide. The Mountie backline held strong against Altoona's counterattack, and despite outshooting the Lions 12-5 in the second period the Mounties were unable to add another goal.
Penn St. Behrend 3, La Roche 2
The Penn State Behrend men's soccer team edged La Roche 3-2 in a very physical, hard-fought AMCC semifinal matchup that will send the Lions to the conference finals for the 17th time in 19 years. The Lions wasted no time getting on the scoreboard as senior M Nick Stewart scored his team-leading 12th goal of the season just 1:15 into the game. The Redhawks had a chance to tie the game at one with a penalty kick in the 14th minute, but Lion senior GK Will Cole was up to the task and made a diving save to keep his team up by one. Behrend carried the early momentum and controlled most of the play for the next 20 minutes only to be rewarded at the 20:37 mark by junior F Anthony Crivelli, complements of a through ball by senior M Christian Harrington. Crivelli was able to handle the pass from Harrington and drill a shot to the lower right corner to add to his team-leading point total (26) and give his team a 2-0 advantage. The Redhawks answered just four minutes later when freshman F Elliot Dick took a through ball from junior F Aaron Lagnese that he was able to finish into the lower left corner to cut the Lions' lead in half. Behrend responded by tallying their third goal of the game in the 38th minute. Junior D Evan Augustine scored his fourth goal of the season, heading in a corner from Harrington. Two minutes later, the Redhawks cut the lead to one once again after a shot from sophomore F Pedro Ansede hit the right post and kicked out to junior F Rocco Galiardi who finished his first goal of the season and set the final score at 3-2.
The championship game between Mt. Aloysius and Penn St. Behrend will kickoff at 2pm on Saturday afternoon with the winner receiving the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA national tournament. The national championship will take place December 4-5 in Kanas City, MO.