ABINGTON, Pa. – The St. Mary's College of Maryland men's soccer team closed out the 2023 regular season Wednesday afternoon (Oct. 25). St. Mary's College (8-6-3, 3-2-1 UEC) saw its win streak halted at two with a 2-0 road loss to Penn State Abington (9-4-4, 6-0-1 UEC).
With the loss, St. Mary's grabs the No. 4 seed in the 2023 United East Conference Men's Soccer Championship Tournament. The Seahawks will host No. 5 seed Penn College on Saturday, October 28, in first round action at the Jamie L. Roberts Stadium at 2:00 p.m. St. Mary's earned a 3-1 road victory over Penn College during the regular season on Oct. 14.
How It Happened
- Abington, who outshot the Seahawks, 6-2, in the first half, staked a 1-0 lead at 25:00 when Eljo Agolli made good on the team's fifth shot of the game.
- Junior forward Abdoul Anounkou (Togo/Springbrook [Md.]) notched St. Mary's first quality shot at 40:08 when Anounkou tested Matt Sheldon with a shot to the bottom left.
- Just shy of six minutes into the second stanza, Agolli doubled the Nittany Lions' lead as he converted a penalty kick for the 2-0 advantage.
- Fifth-year captain Zack Glime (Annapolis, Md./Key) put a shot bottom right at 52:32 but Sheldon handled it to keep the Seahawks off the board.
- Mike Thomas tried to make it a 3-0 Abington lead at 72:35 but couldn't get it past senior Matthew Kopsidas (Rockville, Md./T.S. Wootton).
- First-year midfielder Braden Kindred (Olney, Md./Sherwood) and junior forward Alex Ochman (Rockville, Md./T.S. Wootton) strung together back-to-back scoring attempts at 81:03 and 82:48, respectively; however, Sheldon turned away both shots.
Inside the Box Score
- The Nittany Lions posted a 12-5 (4-4 on goal) shot advantage while edging the visitors, 4-3, in the corner kicks.
St. Mary's College Game Notes
- Kopsidas finished the game with two saves while Anounkou led the team with two shots.
- This is St. Mary's first loss to Abington in six contests as the Seahawks own a 5-1 all-time record.
Penn State Abington Game Notes
- Abington entered today's game ranked seventh in the United Soccer Coaches Region IV poll.
- Sheldon put up four stops to record his third shutout of the season.
Up Next for the Seahawks
- Oct. 28 vs. Penn College (7-6-3, 2-3-1 UEC) – St. Mary's City, Md. (JLR Stadium) – 2 p.m.
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