Men's soccer upset in ECAC playoffs
11.9.06
The Penn State Altoona men's soccer team, ranked third in the ECAC South Region, were stunned by sixth-seeded Alvernia 1-0 Thursday evening at Spring Run Stadium.  Both teams battled soggy field conditions and tornado-like winds that contributed to the game's only tally.  At the 39:10 mark of the first half, the Crusaders' Zach Naylon lofted a direct kick from just outside the top left portion of the box.  Penn State Altoona goalkeeper Mike Ginnona thought he had a play on the ball and took two steps forward, but the wind carried the ball over his head and into the goal, resulting in the 1-0 Crusader advantage.  The Lions had the wind at their backs in the second half but were unable to find the net, despite out-shooting Alvernia 15-3 on the night.  Crusader goalkeeper Richard Kessler had five saves on the evening for Alvernia, who moves on to meet second-seeded Carnegie Mellon in the ECAC semifinals.  Altoona wrapped up an excellent 2006 campaign at 14-4-2 overall and finished second in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference.

Men's Soccer falls in AMCC Championship to Medaille
11.4.06
Unfortunately for the Penn State Altoona men's soccer team, round two of its epic battle with the Mavericks of Medaille ended the same way the first did, a 1-0 barnburner at All High Stadium Saturday morning in Buffalo.  After losing by the same score on October 22 in Altoona, the squad watched the Mavericks score a first half goal and then pack in the defense, holding the Lions to just five shots (one on goal).  Medaille jumped out of the gates quickly, firing on all cylinders and putting the pressure on the Altoona defense.  The Mavs goal came at the 24:58 mark when Ryan Mangano drove the right corner, dribbled across the end line, and found Jared Reisdorf in the middle of the box for the one-timer.  As great as the Lion defense was the rest of the morning, the offense was struggling mightily, and after the final minutes elapsed, Medaille was celebrating their second consecutive AMCC championship.  Altoona fell to 14-3-2 overall.  Penn State Altoona has an outside shot at earning an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament.  If denied by the NCAA's, the Lions will almost certainly be a strong candidate for an ECAC Tournament berth, including the possibility of hosting one or more contests.  Tournament information, seedings, and brackets will be made available on Monday, November 6. 

Pierzga notches 100 career points, leads men's soccer to victory
10.26.06
The Penn State Altoona men's soccer team finished up the regular season in style, thumping Penn State Behrend 5-2 Thursday night in front of a large crowd at Spring Run Stadium.  Once again, the story of the game was Altoona forward Bryan Pierzga.  He tallied seven total points on the evening by scoring three goals and handing out one assist.  He also surpassed 100 career points and currently sits at 103, easily placing him first in Penn State Altoona history.  He netted the first Lion goal of the game at the 23:28 mark when he headed home a Brock Heller corner kick.  Just 45 seconds later, he assisted Corey Suter on a breakaway one-timer, increasing the lead to 2-0.  After a Behrend goal just before halftime, Suter returned the favor and found a streaking Pierzga for the shot that beat Behrend goalkeeper Tom Rhiener.  Pierzga notched the hat trick at the 69:05 mark when J.C. Campbell found him ahead of the pack for the tap in.  Altoona's Will Gray scored the fifth and final tally of the night for his first ever collegiate goal.  To cap things off, it was also Senior Night at Spring Run Stadium as the Lions honored their lone senior, midfielder Mike Caster.  A two-sport athlete at Penn State Altoona (baseball), Caster has been a two-year starter and vital centerpiece to the Lion attack.  The squad is the #2 seed in the AMCC playoffs and will host the winner of third-seed Lake Erie or sixth seed Frostburg State on Wednesday, November 1, at Spring Run Stadium.  The time is still to be determined.     

Men's Soccer downs Aloysius, clinches second seed in AMCC playoffs
10.25.06
The Penn State Altoona men's soccer team made the short trip to Mt. Aloysius Tuesday afternoon and returned with a 6-1 victory, clinching the second seed and a first round bye in the AMCC playoffs.  The Lions led 3-1 at halftime via goals by Dan Saxton, Corey Suter, and Evan Cook.  The Mounties' Andy Clay scored the only goal for the home team on a penalty kick with 34 seconds left in the half.  Altoona notched three more goals in the second half as Saxton, Matt Spangler, and Alan Pine scored, helping the Lions improve to 12-2-2 overall and 7-1 in the AMCC.  The squad hosts Penn State Behrend Thursday night in the regular season finale and will receive a first round bye this Saturday, October 28th.  The Lions will host an AMCC semifinal match on Wednesday, November 1, with the opponent and game time still to be determined.

Men's Soccer loses hard fought game to Medaille
10.22.06
Pitting the AMCC's two remaining unbeatens, it was the Mavericks of Medaille who held off Penn State Altoona Sunday night at Spring Run Stadium for the 1-0 victory and sole possession of first place.  The contest featured outstanding defense and very few offensive chances for either team.  After playing the first 45 minutes to a 0-0 tie, Medaille got on the board at the 67:37 mark when Jeremy Watson drilled a deep pass to teammate Jared Reisdorf for the header that barely beat Lion goalkeeper Mike Ginnona.  The Mavs spent the last 23 minutes of the game furiously trying to hold off Altoona, who was held to a season-low eight shots on the night.  Both goalkeepers were outstanding, as Ginnona came up with three saves for the Lions while Craig Yanni had four huge stops for Medaille. The Lions had two golden scoring opportunities, one in each half.  Bryan Pierzga's penalty kick in the first skipped wide left while Corey Suter had a breakaway shot in the second that was spectacularly saved by Yanni. The Lions dropped to 11-2-2 overall and suffered their first AMCC loss of the year.  The defeat also snapped their 10-game winning streak while Medaille has won its last 14 starts.  The squad travels to Mount Aloysius on Tuesday before taking on Penn State Behrend on a date yet to be determined.       

Lion soccer team blanks Keystone, moves up in Regional Rankings
10.17.06
The Penn State Altoona men's soccer team ran its record to 11-1-2 on the season by stepping outside of AMCC play to take down Keystone College 6-0 Monday afternoon.  The Lions were led by junior Bryan Pierzga, who scored two second half goals and handed out a first half assist.  Teammate and fellow junior Josh Guthridge scored the final goal of the first 45 minutes, and Altoona held a 2-0 halftime advantage.  Guthridge also had two assists on the day.  Freshman Corey Suter notched the first goal of the contest just 19 seconds in off a Pierzga pass.  Tim Morris and Matt Spangler scored the Lions final two goals while Chris Baker picked up the assist on Spangler's score.  The Lions also received good news Monday from the National Soccer Coaches Assocation of America (NSCAA), as they jumped to sixth in the newest Mid-Atlantic Regional Rankings.  Altoona moved up one spot from a week ago when they checked in at seventh.  The squad is back in action on Saturday, October 21, when they travel to Penn State Behrend for a 3:00 PM contest.

Men's Soccer beats Frostburg in overtime thriller  
10.10.06
The Penn State Altoona men's soccer team had its hands full Tuesday evening with Frostburg State and used a Bryan Pierzga overtime goal to take the 2-1 victory.  Altoona got on the board less than five minutes into the contest when Josh Guthridge found Corey Suter in heavy traffic for the score and an early 1-0 lead.  Frostburg turned up the defense and didn't allow the Lions to score through the rest of regulation.  The Bobcats added the tying goal at the 58 minute mark in the second half when Alex Wilkinson's shot from the top of the box found the net.  The game went into overtime and appeared to be headed for double overtime before Pierzga mustered up some late game heroics.  With 20 seconds left, Pierzga took a Tim Morris pass and drove deep into the right corner.  He fired a hard cross right at the Frostburg goalkeeper that deflected off his body and bounced in.  Once again, Altoona out-shot their opponent by a wide margin (19-4) and held the Bobcats to only one shot-on-goal, which was the only Bobcat tally.  The Lions improved to 10-1-2 overall, 6-0 in AMCC play, and are currently on a nine-game winning streak.  The squad now hosts Medaille College, who is also unbeaten in AMCC action, on Saturday, October 14 at 3 PM.

Two Lions named AMCC Players of the Week
10.10.06
Penn State Altoona men's golfer Quintin Dziabo and men's soccer goalkeeper Mike Ginnona have been selected as AMCC Players of the Week for the week of October 9th.  Dziabo, a junior from Cresson, PA, shot a 160 (82 - 78) over 36 holes, earning individual medalist honors at the AMCC championships.  His effort also led the Lions to the team title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament, the first bid for any Lion sport in school history.  This is the second time Dziabo has earned Golfer of the Week honors.  Ginnona, a freshman from Spring City, PA, contributed 100 minutes of scoreless soccer to help the Lions record their sixth and seventh team shutouts of the season.  He has conceded only one goal in 400 minutes of play to help the Lions to a 9-1-2 overall record through 12 contests.

Men's Soccer handles Bradford, tied for seventh in Mid-Atlantic Region
10.9.06
The Penn State Altoona men's soccer team, fresh off a 6-0 win over Pitt-Bradford on Saturday, is now tied for seventh in the newest Mid-Atlantic Region rankings released Monday.  They're tied with Arcadia, who was ranked seventh last week with a 5-2-4 overall record.  The Lions are currently tied for tenth in the nation in goals scored with 43 and ninth in goals scored per game.  Junior Bryan Pierzga (State College, PA/State College) had a five point week that allowed him to tie his career high in goals (11) and assists (8).  Against Bradford, he surpassed former Lion four-year all-conference player Andy Zechman in career assists.  He currently is number one in points (86), goals (32), game winning goals (11), and assists (22) in Penn State Altoona history.  This is the highest the Lions have ever been ranked in the region and sets a record for consecutive weeks ranked.  To read more about the Lions win over Pitt-Bradford, click the link below.
     
Lions remain perfect in AMCC, take down Bradford

Men's Soccer remains perfect in AMCC with 4-1 win over Lake Erie
9.30.06
Penn State Altoona's men's soccer team upped their record to 7-1-2 overall by downing last year's AMCC runner-up Lake Erie College 4-1 Saturday evening in front of a raucous crowd at Spring Run Stadium.  The Lions led 2-0 at halftime thanks to two Bryan Pierzga goals at the eight and twenty minute marks.  The first Pierzga goal came via a beautiful pass by Corey Suter while the second goal was scored on a penalty kick for a hard, inside-the-box foul on Altoona's Will Gray.  Pierzga recorded the hat trick just 10 seconds into the second half, taking the opening kick and firing from 30 yards out.  Lake Erie found the goal at the 77 minute mark when Matt Tringhese punched home a corner kick from the right wing.  Already with the 3-1 advantage, Suter added a bit more insurance, taking a Tim Morris pass in front of the goal and banging it home.  Altoona once again was stellar defensively, holding LEC to just six shots in the contest, four on goal.  The Lions attempted 26 shots including 14 on goal.  The squad is back in action on Wednesday at La Roche College.

Lion men's soccer team takes down Pitt-Greensburg
9.28.06
Altoona's Tim Morris found Corey Suter just 23 seconds into the game for the first of many goals as the Penn State Altoona men's soccer team defeated Pitt-Greensburg 7-1 Thursday at Spring Run Stadium.  Lion forward Bryan Pierzga had two goals on the evening, one via a Josh Guthridge corner kick at the six minute mark and the other off an Evan Cook pass in the 67th minute.  Morris, Guthridge, Sean Rhodes, and Esteban Houssay also pounded home goals for Altoona, who held a 4-1 halftime lead.  The only Greensburg goal of the evening came when Mike Mount hit Mike Balistreri for the one-timer past Altoona goalkeeper Jon Martin.  Altoona out-shot the Bobcats 23-7 on the night and had 17 shots on goal, more than triple the Bobcats' attempts.  The squad is now 6-1-2 overall and 2-0 in AMCC play but will be tested this Saturday as last year's conference runner-up Lake Erie comes to Altoona.  The game will begin at 7:00 pm with the crowning of the Penn State Altoona homecoming King and Queen to take place at halftime.

Men's Soccer downs nationally ranked Carnegie Mellon
9.19.06
The Penn State Altoona men's soccer team proved their merit against the ninth ranked team in the nation, Carnegie Mellon, coming back from a 1-0 deficit to nab the 2-1 win.  Corey Suter and Justin Brunt scored the two Lions' goals in front of a raucous crowd.  Read more by clicking below.

MEN TAKE OUT NATIONALLY RANKED CARNEGIE MELLON