Men's Soccer 11/13/2026 12:00:00 AM

Abington Takes on Tufts in NCAA First Round

Medford, Mass. – For the first time since 2018 the Penn State Abington men's soccer team will compete in the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Nittany Lions will face nationally ranked No. 1 and tournament host Tufts University in the First Round on Saturday at Bello Field. Game time is set for 11 a.m.

Game Day Information
Match-Up: Penn State Abington (13-4-4, 8-0-0 UEC) vs. Tufts (10-3-5, 5-3-2 NESCAC)
Coverage: Live Stats | Live Video | Tournament Website
Tickets: $15 Adults | $5 Children

About Penn State Abington
Abington earned the United East Conference's (UEC) automatic qualifying bid after defeating second-seeded Penn State Harrisburg, 2-0, in the conference championship game. It marked the program's third conference title since joining Division III in 2011.

The Nittany Lions finished the regular season 13-4-4 overall and went undefeated in conference play with an 8-0-0 mark to claim the regular season title and number one seed in the conference tournament. Abington enters Saturday's First Round game with a 16-game unbeaten streak that features a 13-0-3 record in that span. The Nittany Lions last setback was a 1-0 outcome at nationally ranked Rowan University on Sept. 12.

Abington is led by junior Frankie Rafferty, the United East Player of the Year, who has totaled a career-high and team-best 30 points this season. Through the regular season and conference tournament, Rafferty has totaled 13 goals to go along with four assists. The Abington offense has outscored its opponents by a 61 to 21 margin. Senior Hugh Nungessor, a four-time All-United East selection, and sophomore Aramis Shire, the United East Defensive Player of the Year, each have scored seven goals this season. Junior Amerr Yagoub had a breakout year earning All-United East first team honors. Yagoub, who set the program's single season record for assists, is tied for second in Division III with 15.

Abington had a program record eight players earn All-United East honors. Joining the beforehand mentioned above, freshman goalkeeper Hector Ortiz was selected to the first team. In 16 starts, Ortiz has allowed just eight goals, including three against conference opponents. He's the only goalkeeper in the United East that owns a goals against average of under 1.00 at 0.55 which ranks eighth lowest among the D-III leaders. In addition, Ortiz ranks third in the nation with a .889 save percentage. In addition, senior Nick Lachawiec, sophomore Shawn Dixon and freshman Shane Lachawiec were tabbed All-United East second team.

The Abington defense has been solid all year as the Nittany Lions allowed just 1.0 goals per game and has only allowed one goal in its last four games. Anchored by All-United East selections in Shire and Dixon, the defensive unit also features freshman Ryan Shenko who leads the team in total minutes played with 1,701.
About Tufts
Tufts won its second straight New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) title to earn the conference's automatic qualifying bid. The Jumbos enter the NCAA Tournament with a 10-3-5 overall record. Tufts is led by Xavier Canfin who leads the team in scoring with 16 points (5G/6A). Henry Brown (5G/2A) and Ben Brown (3G/5A) each have totaled double-digit points with 12 and 11 respectively. In net, Nikola Antic has made 17 starts with a 9-3-5 record. Antic enters Saturday's game with a 0.76 goals against average after allowing just 13 goals this season.

Abington in the NCAA Tournament
The Nittany Lions are making their third-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first since 2018. Abington was previously in the national tournament in 2017 and 2018 after winning back-to-back conference titles (formerly NEAC).

Tufts in the NCAA Tournament
Tufts is appearing in its 15^th NCAA Tournament and its 12^th straight as the Jumbos have made the tournament every year since 2014. Tufts is 37-8-5 in the NCAA Tournament, including five national championships in 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2025.

All-Time Series
Abington and Tufts will be facing one another for the first time.

Next Up
The winner will take on the winner of the Babson College/SUNY Oneonta First Round matchup in the Second Round on Sunday. Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

#5 Shawn Dixon: D; 5' 7"; Sophomore

#4 Nick Lachawiec: M/D; 6' 3"; Senior

#2 Hugh Nungessor: F; 6' 0"; Senior

#22 Frankie Rafferty: F; 6' 0"; Junior

#33 Aramis Shire: D; 6' 0"; Sophomore

#14 Shane Lachawiec: M; 5' 9"; Freshman

#21 Amerr Yagoub: MF; 5' 8"; Junior

#13 Ryan Shenko: D; 6' 3"; Freshman

#0 Hector Ortiz: GK; 5' 9"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#5 Shawn Dixon
: 5' 7"; Sophomore
: D

#4 Nick Lachawiec
: 6' 3"; Senior
: M/D

#2 Hugh Nungessor
: 6' 0"; Senior
: F

#22 Frankie Rafferty
: 6' 0"; Junior
: F

#33 Aramis Shire
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: D

#14 Shane Lachawiec
: 5' 9"; Freshman
: M

#21 Amerr Yagoub
: 5' 8"; Junior
: MF

#13 Ryan Shenko
: 6' 3"; Freshman
: D

#0 Hector Ortiz
: 5' 9"; Freshman
: GK