Lions Win Ninth Straight; Advance to Second Round

ONEONTA, N.Y. - The Penn State Behrend men's soccer team defeated No. 13 Hobart, 1-0 on Saturday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Freshman Jimmy Belack (Upper St. Clair, PA/Upper St. Clair) netted his fifth goal of the season while Chris Bolea (Ambridge, PA/Ambridge) made two saves in net to give the Lions the victory.

For just the second time in school history, Behrend will advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Coming off a thrilling 1-0 win in the AMCC Championship game, the Lions defense continued to play strong, recording the team's seventh shut out in their last eight games.

Behrend (13-6-1) put the pressure on early, scoring the games lone goal at the 17:17 mark. Peter Brower (Rochester, NY/McQuaid Jesuit) dished the ball to Belack who chipped in a drop back one touch off the left post.  

Despite holding a 6-0 advantage in corner kicks during the first half, the Lions were only able to generate one goal.  Behrend would take the 1-0 lead into half time.

With the second half under way, Hobart came out fast.  The Statesmen outshot the Lions 7-1 in the second half and tallied six corner kicks.  Yet, it was the Behrend defense that continued turn away Hobart. 

As time was winding down, the Statemen made one final effort.  Hobart fired three straight shots with two being blocked and one hitting the post. As the clock hit 90:00, the Lions had earned their ninth consecutive win.  It was also their second straight win versus a ranked opponent.

Behrend will now play Oneonta in the second round on Sunday at 1 p.m.