Lycoming News

The Pennsylvania College of Technology men's soccer team is preparing for the 2023 season with a focus on improved performance, particularly in road matches. Head coach Tyler Mensch aims to leverage added experience, new players, and enhanced team bonding to elevate the team's success this year.

The Wildcats will kick off their season on September 1 at Keystone College, starting a series of five nonconference road games over nine days. Mensch acknowledged past challenges with away games but expressed optimism about overcoming them. "One of our Achilles heels over the years has been our results on the road," he said. "We have a deep roster where we feel like we can go further into our bench to hopefully save some legs during our busy stretch."

Key returning players include junior goalkeeper Cole Catherman and juniors Tommy DeGeyter and Matt Neeson. New additions such as Brendan Geiger and Hunter Gabloff are expected to strengthen the team's attack.

Mensch emphasized recruitment efforts focused on offensive talent: "Of our eight new additions, six are true attacking players who will hopefully spark us in the final third of the field." He also highlighted a solid defense and goalkeeping lineup as strong points for the team.

Reflecting on preseason activities, Mensch mentioned a successful alumni match and noted that despite early class schedules affecting practice time, team energy remains positive. An international trip to England and Scotland also contributed to team bonding.

The United East Conference's merger with the Colonial States Athletic Conference introduces changes in playoff structure this season. The top six teams will compete in postseason play starting October 28, culminating in determining an overall conference champion by November 4.

Last year's champions were Penn State Harrisburg (UE) and Rosemont (CSAC). Mensch commented on rising competition levels: "The United East continues to get better each and every year." He also pointed out motivation stemming from last year's narrow loss against Abington: "Losing 2-1...definitely left a sour taste in the guys' mouths."

Assisting Mensch are Zach Diehl along with volunteer assistants Doug Estes and Alastair Stark.