ST. MARY’S CITY, Md. - It took two overtimes and penalty kicks but the No. 2 Lions of Penn State Harrisburg upset top-seeded St. Mary’s College of Maryland, 2-2 (4-1 PKs), Saturday evening in the United East Men’s Soccer Championship. The victory earned the Lions their third-straight United East crown.

The win also gave Harrisburg the automatic qualifier to the 2022 NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Championship. The NCAA selection show is set to premier on Monday at 1:30 p.m.

An evenly fought match on both sides saw a 2-2 score go through 110 minutes of playing, meaning penalty kicks were going to be the deciding factor. Harrisburg shot first as Marc Rodgers’ shot was tipped by Seahawks keeper, Matthew Kopsidas, but made it past him. Alex Ochman then railed one off the crossbar to give the Lions an early lead. 

The two sides exchanged goals in the next round of the shootout and Harrisburg’s Daniel Rossiter made his in the third. Jason Caro then stepped to the mark for St. Mary’s but his shot was shoved aside by eventual Championship MVP, Estoban Leon. That allowed Ben Stuckert to stick one in the low left corner in round four, sealing the victory for the Lions.

Play in the first two halves lived up to the extra time hype. St. Mary’s College got on the board first as Garrett Bridgwater crossed a curling ball into the box that was flicked into the net by Alex Ochman in the 28th minute. Harrisburg answered back quickly as just over four minutes later, Rossiter was able to head home a corner kick from Rodgers. Both sides picked up a red card before the half’s end as well.

Playing 10-a-side, Harrisburg struck next as a bouncing ball off a corner reached the boot of Stuckert who ripped a shot that was deflected in off a Seahawk player. With time winding down, St. Mary’s evened things at two with just over 12 minutes in regulation. A corner kick was sent into the box and eventually made its way to Matt Barlow who snuck it past the Lion keeper.

Penn State Harrisburg will move on with a record of 10-2-7 while the Seahawks finish with a record of 11-5-4.

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The United East has nine NCAA Division III member institutions which include: Gallaudet University, Lancaster Bible College, Morrisville State, Penn College, Penn State Abington, Penn State Berks, Penn State Harrisburg, St. Mary's College of Maryland and Wells College. The United East also includes three associate members in the sport of men’s golf including Clarks Summit University, Rosemont College, Rutgers University – Camden and Wilson College. Clarks Summit University is also an associate member in the sport of men’s tennis. The United East has also partnered with the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference in the sports of men's and women's lacrosse. For more information, please visit: gounitedeast.com