AMCC Men's Soccer Game of the Week:
Alfred State College @ Penn State Behrend
Wednesday, October 12 at 7pm
Video | Live Stats
The Penn State Behrend (7-2-4, 1-0-1 AMCC) men's soccer team will host Alfred State College (6-3-4, 1-0-1 AMCC) in Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) action on Wednesday night in the AMCC Men's Soccer Game of the Week.
Behrend defeated the Houghton Highlanders 2-0 in non-conference action on Monday. John Ziobro and Justin Hockenberger scored for the Lions while Sam York posted the shutout. Blake Cooper and Justin LeDonne were named AMCC Athletes of the Week. Cooper earned offensive accolades for scoring three goals and dishing out two assists last week, including a goal and two assists in a 6-0 win over La Roche. Cooper leads the team with six goals and three assists for 15 points. LeDonne earned defensive honors for helping Behrend to a pair of shutouts, while also scoring a goal. The Lions keep moving up in NCAA DIII statistics in goals-against average, now at 13th (.500).
The Pioneers have been hot as-of-late, going 2-0-2 in their last four, putting up 14 goals in the process. Nuri Sarbudak is tied for first in the AMCC for goals this season, with eight. Sarbudak has put a ball in the net in each of the last five matches. Gavin Rice has tallied four goals and two assists this season, as he and Sarbudak have been pivotal pieces in the Pioneer offense. Defensive midfielders, Josh Price and Andres Mateos have been anchoring the Pioneer midfield, with their work rate and ball-winning ability for Alfred State. They not only have an effect defensively but have contributed to the offense as well. Price has tallied two assists and a goal, while Mateos has put two in the net and has an assist on the year. Michael Bupp and Will Bowen anchor the Alfred State back line, with their tenaciousness and aggressive ball-hawk mindset, they consistently find themselves making possession-ending tackles in key situations.
Behrend and Alfred State are meeting for the fifth time in program history. The Lions are 4-0 against the Pioneers, posting three shutouts and giving up one goal in 2019. Last season, Behrend defeated Alfred State, 1-0