Pennsylvania College of Technology’s men’s soccer team is preparing for the United East Conference quarterfinal match against Notre Dame of Maryland, scheduled for Saturday at noon. The Wildcats, seeded fifth with a 9-6-2 overall record and 4-2-2 in conference play, will travel to face the fourth-seeded Gators, who hold a 4-6-4 overall record and are also 4-2-2 in the conference. The winner will move on to the semifinals next Wednesday, with the championship set for the following Saturday.
The teams previously met on September 4 in Williamsport, where they played to a scoreless draw. During that match, Penn College recorded six shots on goal compared to Notre Dame’s four. Wildcats goalkeeper Justin Crismale made four saves while Notre Dame’s David Von Mentlen had six.
Penn College coach Tyler Mensch reflected on the season: “At the beginning of this year, we were in a bit of an unknown as we welcomed in so many new faces after graduating 13 seniors. As a team, we quickly meshed and were able to get a few key results early that helped build confidence and momentum. That confidence helped us start conference play on the front foot and put us in a good spot where we were able to finish fifth (losing out on the fourth seed) by tiebreaker.”
In conference games this season, Penn College has scored 14 goals while conceding nine and leads opponents in shots on goal by 69 to 34. Logan Pietrzak leads their offense with four goals; Garrett Gill and Silas Miller have each scored twice. Jimmy Friedman, Sean McGroarty, and Elliott Rattiram each have two assists.
Goalkeeper Justin Crismale has allowed nine goals during conference play with a goals-against average of 1.20, a save percentage of .727, and holds a record of 4-2-2.
Coach Mensch emphasized defensive stability as key for postseason success: “We need to continue to be solid defensively. We have done a really good job of limiting teams to dangerous scoring chances, and if we can continue to play lockdown defense, we have an opportunity to advance. Playoff matches are usually tight and low scoring, so the longer we can hold teams scoreless, the chances of us being able to find a goal rise significantly,” he said. “Offensively, we have not been scoring a lot in the flow of play. We need to continue to draw fouls that lead to dangerous set pieces for us. We have been a really good set piece team and I’m hopeful that will continue during the playoffs.”
Notre Dame has been outscored by its opponents 14-12 in United East matches this season. Four players account for all their scoring: Tassilo Lehmkuhl (five goals), Athanasios Ziliaskopoulos (three), Martin Rasiwala (two), and Cristo Sanchez Cabrera (two). Goalkeeper David Von Mentlen has started four games with an average of 2.30 goals allowed per game; Mateo Gularte started twice without allowing any goals.
Mensch added: “I say it every year, playoff soccer is always about surviving and advancing. If we play sound defense and capitalize on our chances, we have the potential to go on a run.”
Other teams competing Saturday include top-seeded St. Mary’s (Md.) College—the two-time defending champion—second-seed Penn State Harrisburg, third-seed Penn State Abington, sixth-seed Lancaster Bible College as well as Cairn University and Penn State Berks who advanced from Tuesday’s first round matches.
