Box Score Abington, Pa. - The Penn State Abington men's soccer team made sure to send out their seniors in style earlier this evening. The Nittany Lions dominated possession over visiting Gallaudet (3-12, 1-9 NEAC) while cruising to a 3-0 victory. The match marked the final regular season home match for senior players Yaovi Freitas, Marco Paparo, Julian Ward, Joshua Clinger, and Matt Howard.

Penn State Abington (11-3, 9-1 NEAC) came out in the match ready to get their seniors the victory, and it showed as the team was able to fire off 5 shots in the first ten minutes. Although none made it through to the back of the net, the Nittany Lions kept up the pressure on Gallaudet, and all their hard work and possession finally paid off just 16 minutes into the match.

After a run of several fouls by different Gallaudet players, the Nittany Lions ended up with a free kick deep in the attacking third. From the right corner, a Nittany Lion sent the free ball arcing into the penalty box, where a mass of players awaited. After the ball bounced around in the box off of several different players, it ended up at the feet of junior Andre Lynahping. Lynahping tried to turn and take a shot, but was pulled down in the box by a Bison player. The referee immediately whistled for the free kick, which Lynahping stepped up to take. The junior midfielder calmly sent a powerful, low shot past Gallaudet goalkeeper Eric Setzer and into the netting, giving Penn State Abington a 1-0 lead.

Twelve minutes later, Penn State Abington got their second goal of the night off the hard work of one of their own senior players. After winning a ball in the midfield and sending it towards the endline, it appeared as if no Nittany Lions player would get to the ball in time to keep it from rolling out of bounds. Fortunately for Penn State Abington, senior Julian Ward was on the scene with his speed. Ward raced down towards the end of the field and caught up to the ball just before it went out. After getting possession of the ball, Ward faced up to the goal and cut into the penalty box. Dribbling his way between several defenders, Ward managed to get perfect position for a shot. His right-footed effort from 8 yards out gave Setzer no chance of stopping the ball, and with the goal, Penn State Abington jumped ahead 2-0.

Although the Nittany Lions dominated possession for most of the game, it would not be until midway through the second half that they were able to get on the scoreboard one final time. Off of some very nice passing in the midfield, it was Lynahping who once again found the ball at his feet near the penalty box. Taking some dribbles at the top of the box to get around defenders, Lynahping spotted sophomore Alex Martins making a great run to his left in the box. Lynahping sent a great lead pass for Maritns to run onto, and Martins, the second-leading scorer on the squad, knew exactly what to do with it. From almost point blank range of the goal, Martins sent a shot to the right of Setzer, who ended up with nine brilliant saves on the night, and into the back of the night. This final goal closed out the scoreline and gave Abington a 3-0 victory.

With the win, Penn State Abington closes out the regular season with a 11-3 overall record, their best winning percentage since the 1989 season. More importantly for the current team, the win ensures that the Nittany Lions will host the NEAC Men's Soccer Tournament when postseason play begins. Make sure to keep checking in at abingtonsports.com, as details on game times and locations will be released in the near future.