Hazleton cruises by Greater Allegheny in conference opener

HAZLETON, Pa. – Penn State Hazleton bounced back from two straight losses to pick up a 6-0 win over Penn State Greater Allegheny in a Penn State University Athletic Conference game at Community Park. The conference opener gives the Lions (2-2, 1-0 PSUAC) their first win since the season opener and their third straight win over Greater Allegheny.

Hazleton grabbed a 2-0 first half lead that would hold up as the Lions piled on three late goals to contribute to the lopsided final score. Hazleton only outshot the Lions 19-17, but most of Greater Allegheny's shots sailed high or wide.

First Half

Both teams had their opportunities in the first half as they shared control of the ball nearly 50-50. However, Hazleton took advantage of their chances while Greater Allegheny failed to capitalize. The Nittany Lions had several open runs early and those continued throughout, but shots on goal were hard to come by.

Scoring started as junior Michael Principe (Jim Thorpe, Pa.) found brother Steven Principe (Jim Thorpe, Pa.) on a run up the middle to make it 1-0 Hazleton with 25 minutes left in the half. Thirteen minutes later sophomore Ben Pasukinis (Benton, Pa.) crossed from the corner to senior Kyle Venditti (Berwick, Pa.) who put a header by the keeper for a 2-0 advantage.

Hazleton held a 7-6 advantage on shots, but freshman keeper Brandon Yocum (Bloomsburg, Pa.) stopped four shots while his counterpart only made one save.

Second Half

A slow start to the second kept Greater Allegheny in the game as it took 30 minutes for either team to score. Freshman Jason Klusewitz (Mountain Top, Pa.) ultimately put Hazleton up 3-0 after the Greater Allegheny keeper dropped a ball near the right side of the net and Klusewitz made him pay in the 76^th minute.

Hazleton would tack on three goals late in the half, scoring in the 86^th, 87^th and 88^th minutes to pull away from their western foes. Klusewitz found another deflection off a save and hammered it home for a 4-0 Hazleton lead. A minute later Venditti returned the favor to Pasukinis, finding him in the middle with a wide open net. Venditti would cap the scoring in the 88^th minute, beating the keeper on the short side of the goal to make it 6-0.

Next Up

Hazleton continues conference play as they host Penn State Worthington Scranton on Sept. 14^th at 4:00 p.m. at Community Park. The Nittany Lions will look to move to 2-0 in conference play for the second straight season.