ERIE, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend men's soccer team is headed back to the NCAA Division III Tournament. Behrend (17-1-3) will travel to SUNY-Cortland to play Scranton (14-3-1) in the first round on Saturday, November 12 at 7:30 p.m.
This will be their sixth appearance in the NCAA tournament including four times in the past six years. The Lions last made an appearance in 2014.
Host SUNY-Cortland (17-2) will take on Morrisville St. (16-3) at 5 p.m. on Saturday. The two first round winners will face off on Sunday at 5 p.m. for the right to advance to NCAA Sectionals.
Behrend and Scranton have only played once before, dating back to 2003 when the Royals handed the Lions a 1-0 loss.
Behrend earned an automatic bid to the tournament with their 4-0 shutout victory over Medaille on Saturday in the AMCC Championship game. Anthony Crivelli (Cranberry Township, PA/Seneca Valley) tallied three goals in the contest.
The Lions are looking to get back on the winning track in the NCAA tournament after suffering a heartbreaker in 2014 to Ohio Wesleyan in OT. The 3-2 loss snapped Behrend's 13-game winning streak.
Crivelli leads all scorers this season with 27 points (11 goals, 5 assists). Senior midfielder Sean Gallagher Bethel Park, PA/Bethel Park) has converted four penalty kicks this season and has seven goals with six assists for 20 points. Aaron Harris (Washington, PA/McGuffey) and Dakota Lange (Apollo, PA/Kiski Area) have each contributed four goals.
The Lions defense has been spectacular this season. They are led by seniors Evan Augustine (South Park, PA/South Park) and Ryan Thorsen (Bethel Park, PA/Bethel Park), junior Josh Kolarac (Imperial, PA/West Allegheny) and freshman Macen DiPaolo (Cranberry Twp, PA/Senaca Valley). The four have helped Behrend post 13 team shutouts during the season.
Freshman goalkeeper Chris Ralph (Murrysville, PA/Franklin Regional) boasts a .55 goals against average while making 49 saves this season. He has a save percentage of .831 in 15 wins while only giving up 10 goals all year.
To view the full NCAA bracket, click the link below.
http://i.turner.ncaa.com/sites/default/files/external/gametool/brackets/soccer-men_d3_2016.pdf
