ERIE, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend men's soccer team announced their team awards for the 2021 season. The Lions claimed the No. 2 seed for the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Tournament and finished the year 13-6 overall with a 7-1 conference mark.
Cameron Eckberg (Westmoreland City, PA/Norwin) was named the team's Most Valuable Player after tallying a team-high eight goals and 18 points. His mark in goals saw him tie for fifth in the AMCC and his point total resulted in a tie for seventh in the conference.
Senior Matthew Romesberg Jr. (Hollsopple, PA/Mount Pleasant) was tabbed the Sportsmanship/Leadership Award winner. Romesberg Jr. was tied for second on the team in goals scored with five and sent Behrend to the ECAC Semifinals, scoring the game-winning goal in the 76th minute against Misericordia.
Blake Cooper (Murrysville, PA/Franklin Regional) earned the title of Top Freshman, finishing his rookie campaign with 10 points and three goals. Cooper recorder four points against Morrisville St. in just his second game, scoring his first career goal and adding two assists as well. He remained an offensive threat for the Lions, finishing with 28 shots with 15 being on target.
James Lynch (Erie, PA/Cathedral Prep) rounds out the awards as the 2021 Most Improved Player. After missing his freshman year in 2019 due to injury, Lynch bounced back and was a key piece in the Lions defense. Behrend led the conference in goals against (18) and goals-against average (0.93) and limited conference opponents to just 5.38 shots per game.
