Box Score St. Davids, Pa. - The Penn State Abington men's soccer team suffered a tough loss this afternoon on the road at Eastern University by a score of 2-1. The Eagles jumped out to a quick lead with two goals inside the first seven minutes and were able to shut down the Nittany Lions in the second half to get the victory.

Coming off of a win against Penn State Harrisburg last Saturday that helped solidify their place at the top of the NEAC conference standings, it seemed that the Nittany Lions (10-3, 8-1 NEAC) suffered somewhat of a letdown to start today's match. Just 1:48 into the game, Eastern (8-5-1, 2-4 MAC) got on the scoreboard on the first shot of the game. Junior forward Brandon Beaumont sent a through pass in behind the Penn State Abington defense. All that was needed was for an Eagles player to run onto the pass, and that player was sophomore Benjamin Barnhart. Barnhart took advantage of the opportunity, sending a shot past Nittany Lions freshman goalkeeper James Carlin and giving Eastern a quick 1-0 lead.

Just over four minutes later, the Eagles would strike again with what ended up being the game-winning goal. This time, it was the same duo of Eastern players who combined for the result, merely in a reverse order. It was Barnhart who did most of the work, getting possession of the ball and taking it inside the Nittany Lions penalty box. From here, Barnhart slipped a pass across the goal from the right side, where all Beaumont had to do was finish into the net, and suddenly Penn State Abington was facing a 2-0 deficit.

Those two early goals from Eastern seemed to serve as a wake-up call for the Nittany Lions, who from that point on were much more competitive in the match. After working in several substitutes to get fresh legs on the field, Penn State Abington was able to earn a couple of corner kicks and let losse with their first few shots of the match, and finally got themselves on the scoreboard in the 24th minute of the first half. After a quick breakout from their own half, the Nittany Lions ended up with the ball on the feet of junior Andre Lynahping along the left sideline. Lynahping took a couple of long strides into the Eastern half of the field before sending a great pass to the center of the field for senior Matt Howard. Howard made a great run, slicing through the Eagles' defense before letting loose with a shot from ten yards out. The ball rocketed past sophomore goalkeeper Nick Policastro and into the netting, cutting the Penn State Abington deficit to 2-1.

Unfortunately for the Nittany Lions, this would be the last scoring of the game, although it was not for a lack of opportunities. Both sides had ample chances to push into the offensive zones and work for another goal, including shots for each side that were cleared off the goal line by defenders. In the second half, Penn State Abington was able to put more and more pressure on the Eagles defense, resulting in several quality chances on goal. Perhaps the best of these came around the 80 minute mark, when the Nittany Lions had three straight corner kicks. However, Eastern was able to clear the ball out of danger each time, and in the end they came away with the 2-1 victory.

The loss, though disappointing, has no effect on the Penn State Abington playoff push. The next match, at home against Gallaudet on Wednesday night, will be the final regular season contest for the Nittany Lions men's soccer team, and it is a chance for the team to solidify home field advantage headed into the NEAC Championship tournament. It is a simple scenario for Penn State Abington: win, and they are ensured first place headed into the postseason. Perhaps even more importantly to the program, Wednesday night's affair against Gallaudet is also Senior Night for the men's and women's teams. Be sure to come out to Father Judge Stadium to help Penn State Abington honor the hard work and dedication of all the seniors who have contributed to the Nittany Lions soccer program throughout their careers.