LATHAM, N.Y. – The quarterfinal round of the 2026 United East Men's Soccer Championship unfolded Saturday afternoon, with all eight qualifying teams battling for a spot in the semifinals. Top-seeded Penn State Abington cruised to a 4-0 victory over No. 8 Cairn University, while No. 2 Penn State Harrisburg secured a 3-1 triumph over No. 7 Notre Dame of Maryland University. Third-seeded Lancaster Bible College blanked No. 6 Keystone College, 3-0, while No. 4 St. Mary's College of Maryland completed the semifinal field with a 2-0 shutout of No. 5 Penn College.

The championship continues Tuesday, November 3, with the four remaining teams competing for a place in the conference final. Both semifinal contests will be hosted by the higher seed, with the matchups listed below:

#1 Penn State Abington vs. #4 St. Mary’s College of Maryland
#2 Penn State Harrisburg vs. #3 Lancaster Bible College

Catch all of the Championship details here: MEN’S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP PAGE
 

No. 1 Penn State Abington def. No. 8 Cairn University, 4-0

Penn State Abington wasted little time establishing its offensive presence, striking twice in the opening 20 minutes to take control of the contest. Frankie Rafferty opened the scoring in the 16th minute, converting a pass from Rael Halim to give the Nittany Lions an early advantage. Just four minutes later, Da'Vid Robinson doubled the lead with his third goal of the season, sending Abington into halftime with a 2-0 cushion. The Nittany Lions' defense also delivered a strong opening-half performance, limiting Cairn to just four shots before the break.

Abington continued to build on its advantage in the second half, with Rafferty completing his brace in the 58th minute. Amerr Yagoub delivered the assist off a corner kick, setting up Rafferty for his 13th goal of the season. The Nittany Lions added one final tally in the 70th minute when Hugh Nungessor successfully converted a penalty kick, extending the lead to 4-0. Despite Cairn generating nine second-half shots, Abington goalkeeper Hector Ortiz and the Nittany Lions' defense held firm to preserve the shutout and secure a berth in the conference semifinals.

Rafferty powered the Abington attack with two goals, bringing his season total to 13, the fourth-highest single-season mark in program history. Yagoub collected his 12th assist of the season, extending his program single-season record, while Ortiz registered a season-high seven saves to earn his fifth shutout of the year. The victory also extended the Nittany Lions' unbeaten streak to 14 matches.

No. 2 Penn State Harrisburg def. No. 7 Notre Dame of Maryland University, 3-1

Penn State Harrisburg wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, striking twice in the opening 16 minutes to establish an early advantage. Mason Quinton opened the scoring in the ninth minute before setting up Josiah Shamberger for the Lions' second goal in the 16th minute. Notre Dame of Maryland responded in the 30th minute when Athanasios Ziliaskopoulos converted a pass from Arnaud Gerin, cutting the deficit to 2-1. The Gators nearly found the equalizer before halftime, but Matteo Rovani's attempt in the 41st minute struck the post, allowing Harrisburg to maintain its one-goal lead at the break.

The Gators continued to challenge the Lions following the intermission, forcing goalkeeper Jimmy Shensky into a pair of saves in the opening six minutes of the second half. Harrisburg weathered the pressure and began generating opportunities of its own, but Notre Dame goalkeeper David Von Mentlen kept his team within striking distance. With the Gators searching for a late equalizer, Ariel Garcia provided the decisive insurance goal in the 89th minute, finishing an opportunity created by Djibril Fall to seal the 3-1 victory.

Quinton led the Harrisburg attack with a goal and an assist, while Shamberger and Garcia each added a tally. The Lions held a 17-13 advantage in shots, with Shensky recording six saves in the victory. Ziliaskopoulos paced Notre Dame's offense with five shots, all on target, while Von Mentlen finished with six saves in the setback.

No. 3 Lancaster Bible College def. No. 6 Keystone College, 3-0

Lancaster Bible College and Keystone College traded early opportunities in the opening half, with both sides looking to establish an offensive rhythm. The Giants threatened midway through the period, but Chargers goalkeeper Chris Jackson turned away the attempt to preserve the scoreless tie. Lancaster Bible began to generate more pressure as the half progressed, eventually breaking through with just two seconds remaining before halftime. Jacob Garrett delivered his fourth goal of the season, giving the Chargers a 1-0 advantage heading into the break.

The Chargers carried that momentum into the second half, quickly extending their lead in the 54th minute. Silas Dellaperute capitalized on a free-kick opportunity, sending a shot past the Keystone goalkeeper for his third goal of the season. Just over 10 minutes later, Riley Bills added an insurance goal in the 65th minute, stretching Lancaster Bible's advantage to 3-0. The Chargers' defense held the Giants without a shot in the second half, securing the shutout victory and a spot in the conference semifinals.

Lancaster Bible held a commanding 12-2 advantage in shots, while Jackson recorded two saves to earn his fourth shutout of the season. Garrett, Dellaperute and Bills each registered their first career postseason goals in the victory. Keystone goalkeeper James Kallens finished with two saves in the setback.

No. 4 St. Mary's College of Maryland def. No. 5 Penn College, 2-0

St. Mary's College of Maryland established an early offensive presence, controlling the pace of play throughout the opening half. The Seahawks generated eight shots while holding Penn College to just one attempt before the break. Despite several scoring opportunities, St. Mary's (Md.) was unable to break through, sending the two teams into halftime deadlocked at 0-0.

The Seahawks finally found the breakthrough in the 54th minute when Lucas Evans connected with Marco Mazzola, who delivered his first goal of the season to give St. Mary's (Md.) a 1-0 advantage. Penn College attempted to respond, but the Seahawks' defense continued to limit the Wildcats' offensive opportunities. St. Mary's (Md.) added an insurance goal in the 81st minute when Zach Blaum set up Franco Reyes for his fifth tally of the season, extending the lead to 2-0 and securing the quarterfinal victory.

St. Mary's (Md.) finished with a commanding 20-7 advantage in shots, while goalkeeper Jordon Eckman collected two saves to earn the shutout. Mazzola and Reyes supplied the scoring for the Seahawks, while Evans and Blaum each contributed an assist. Scott Goldfeder paced Penn College with two shots in the setback.

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