Men's Soccer rally falls short in PSUAC playoffs

NEW KENSINGTON, Pa. -- The Penn State Hazleton men's soccer team fell short in the first round of the Penn State University Athletic Conference playoffs, falling 4-2 to three-seed Penn State New Kensington on Wednesday afternoon.  

The sixth-seeded Nittany Lions fell behind in the 31st minute giving up the games opening goal. New Kensington tacked on two more goals in a three minute span making it three goals in four minutes going into half, down 3-0.

Hazleton opened the second half strong, recording their first goal in the 63rd minute. Ryan Lieb (Yardley, Pa.) tallied the first goal from 18 yards out for Hazleton from a JR Oyefeso (Freehold, NJ) pass. Hazleton couldn't hold the momentum as New Kensington struck back just two minutes later to give the Lions a 4-1 advantage.

Hazleton drew closer in the 71st minute as Joseph Torres (Garden City, NY) netted a pass from Nazel Chowdhury (Dhaka, Bangladesh) to bring the score to 4-2.

The loss brings Hazleton's season to an end, as the Nittany Lions finish with a record of 5-10-1. New Kensington advances to meet two-seed Penn State York on Saturday in the semifinals of the PSUAC playoffs.