ABINGTON, Pa. – The St. Mary's College of Maryland men's soccer team used two second-half goals to knock off top-seeded Penn State Abington Monday afternoon (Oct. 30) in the semifinals of the 2023 United East Conference Volt Division Championship Tournament. St. Mary's College (10-6-3) avenged its October 25 regular-season 2-0 road loss to Abington with a 2-0 road win over the Nittany Lions (9-5-4).
St. Mary's will continue its championship run on Wednesday, November 1 at 6 p.m., when the Seahawks travel to Middletown, Pa., to take on No. 2 seed Penn State Harrisburg (8-4-7) in the Volt Division title match. During the regular season, St. Mary's and Harrisburg played to a 2-2 draw on Oct. 7 in St. Mary's City.
How It Happened
- The Seahawks dominated the first half, outshooting Abington, 10-1, but Matt Sheldon made four stops to keep it a scoreless draw at the break.
- St. Mary's earned three corner kicks to start the second half but did not generate any meaningful offense.
- Junior forward Abdoul Anounkou (Togo/Springbrook [Md.]) broke the stalemate in the 68th minute when first-year forward Franco Reyes (Silver Spring, Md./Montgomery Blair) slotted a short pass through two Abington defenders and Anounkou fired it into the top right corner for the 1-0 Seahawk lead.
- The Nittany Lions put together a three-minute offensive flurry, gaining five corner kicks and four shots, two of which tested senior captain Matthew Kopsidas (Rockville, Md./T.S. Wootton).
- Fifth-year captain Zack Glime (Annapolis, Md./Key) capitalized on an Abington defensive error as Glime took the ball away from Sheldon and ripped it into the empty net for a St. Mary's insurance goal in the 85th minute.
- Abington continued fighting, putting up two more shots. JT Stone's shot off a free kick at 86:49 from 45 yards out was easily handled by Kopsidas.
Inside the Box Score
- The Seahawks finished with a 16-8 (9-4 on goal) shot advantage.
- Abington posted a 9-7 edge in corner kicks, including one in the final 20 seconds of the game.
St. Mary's College Game Notes
- Kopsidas recorded his third shutout of the season, making four saves in the win.
- Glime led the Seahawks with six shots (three on goal).
- St. Mary's improves to 6-1 all-time against Penn State Abington.
Penn State Abington Game Notes
- Sheldon was the bright spot for the Nittany Lions with seven saves.
- The loss snaps Abington's five-game unbeaten streak.
Up Next for the Seahawks
- Nov. 1 at Penn State Harrisburg (8-4-7) – Middletown, Pa. – 6 p.m.
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