ERIE, Pa. – Penn State Behrend freshman Richard Blanchard (Erie, PA/Cathedral Prep) scored in the 97th minute to lift the Lions over Mt. Aloysius Saturday afternoon, 1-0.
The Lions' (8-4, 2-0 AMCC) defensive efforts held the Mounties (8-2-1, 1-1 AMCC) to only three shots through the second half and overtime, helping Behrend find its third straight conference shut-out.
The second half was dominated by the Lions, out shooting Mt. Aloysius 12-3 in the final 52 minutes of the game. Their dominating continued into the overtime periods when their defensive efforts were finally rewarded.
At the 96:33 mark, Blanchard gave high pressure to the Mounties defensive line, forcing the defender to make a crucial mistake. The freshman took advantage of his opportunity, stealing the ball and touching it around another defender, when he toe-poked a shot past the goalkeeper to secure the win for the Lions.
Chris Ralph (Murrysville, PA/Franklin Regional) was uncontested the entire match, notching his fifth shutout of the season.
The Lions will be back on the field Tuesday when they travel to Pittsburgh to take on Carnegie Mellon at 7 p.m.