Penn State Abington men's soccer captured the conference title for the second consecutive year. Now, they head to the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs.
For the second consecutive year, the Penn State Abington men's soccer team captured the North Eastern Athletic Conference championship after an intense 2-1 win over Lancaster Bible Sunday afternoon.
The Nittany Lions came out of the gate firing and in the 14th minute, First Team All-Conference selection Sebastian Krysztofowicz (Doylestown, PA) put the Nittany Lions ahead. The sophomore midfielder benefited off a rebound after Hernando Villamil (Philadelphia, PA) had his shot saved and put it into the back of the net. Only moments later the Nittany Lions earned a penalty after a hard challenge in the box. Jose Palomeque (Upper Dublin, PA) stepped up to the line and converted the penalty for what would eventually be the game winning goal. Abington stifled the Chargers only allowing two shots the entire first half.
In the second half the Chargers were energized and pressed the Nittany Lions to get on to the board. Rusty Risteen broke the Chargers silence with a goal in the 58th minute when he put the ball in after a Lancaster Bible corner. Both keepers for the Chargers and Nittany Lions made highlight reel saves to stay in the game, but the Nittany Lions were able to hold on for the back-to-back NEAC titles.
After the game Palomeque was named the 2018 NEAC Tournament MVP for his outstanding performance with two goals and an assist.
