Box Score Abington, Pa. – In their first North Eastern Athletic Conference match of the 2013 season, the Penn State Abington Nittany Lions put on a scoring clinic against their interstate rivals Penn State Berks. The home team used six first-half goals en route to an 8-1 rout of Berks, the most goals Penn State Abington men's soccer have ever put up in a match. Senior forward Guy Sikpa had a huge day himself, scoring the first four goals of the match himself to help the hosts earn their first conference win of the year.
 
Sikpa got things started early for Penn State Abington (4-2, 1-0 NEAC) by scoring his first goal just 1:21 into the game. Junior forward Alex Martins did a great job of dribbling through the Berks defense down the left side before cutting into the penalty box at the endline. Martins continued on towards goal before passing back towards the top of the box where Sikpa had found plenty of open space. The lanky forward let loose with a shot back into the center of the net, giving the hosts their early lead. Over the next 13 minutes, Sikpa poured in three more goals to put the game virtually out of reach even that early on. His first came off a great through ball from fellow senior Marco Paparo that Sikpa ran onto in the right side of the box and shot past the keeper. Then, it was Martins once again getting an assist with another cross from the left side. This time, Daniel Ortiz got on the end of it and attempted a shot, but instead, the ball deflected off his foot and continued across the face of the net to the right post. With everything going his way early, this meant the ball landed straight at Sikpa's feet, and he finished with a shot back across the goal to make it 3-0. Finally, in the 15^th minute, it was a replay of Sikpa's first goal, as Martins cut into the box at the left endline before slotting it back to Sikpa at the penalty shot for an easy goal, his fourth of the game already.
 
Penn State Berks (0-6, 0-2 NEAC) simply had little answer for the Penn State Abington attack. Just a few minutes later, Martins got on the scoreboard with a goal of his own, this time off a great through ball from Ortiz. With the ball in midfield, Ortiz chipped a pass over the Berks backline, and Martins ran onto the ball easily. Berks goalkeeper Darrell Geisinger came out of the box to try and beat Martins to the ball, but the Abington forward got their first and deftly chipped the ball over the keeper and into the net, making it 5-0 after 16:28 of play. The hosts got their final goal of the half after Martins was drilled off his feet inside the penalty box, giving Abington a penalty kick. Senior Phil Curry stepped up to the spot and calmly powered a shot past the keeper and into the net to make it 6-0.
 
Berks did manage to scratch across a goal just before the end of the half when Connor Mastricola sent a great cross into the box from the right corner. Isaiah Danner rose up into the air and managed to get his head on the ball, directing it into the Abington goal for their first and only goal of the match. It was the only goal that the Abington keepers would allow, as Dan Saint-Pol and James Carlin combined to make one save on the only other shot they faced on the afternoon. In the second half, Abington extended their lead with two more goals. The first came on a corner kick taken by Curry, this time sent low and driven towards the near post where junior Nick Marques ran on and flicked it into the net. Then, Andre Lynahping got his second goal of the season off a long shot from outside the box. The ball actually deflected off a Berks defender, sending the ball off of its original course and the wrong way past the Berks keeper and into the net making the final score 8-1.
 
With the win, Penn State Abington opens their NEAC season with a win for the second straight season. The eight goals scored in today's match is the most ever in a game for the men's squad. The Nittany Lions will look to carry that offense back on the pitch tomorrow afternoon for a non-conference matchup against Valley Forge Christian College. Gametime is set for 1:30 pm at Germantown Academy stadium.