New Kensington, Scranton Meet in Men's Soccer Title Game; Mont Alto and Schuylkill Clash Once Again in Women's Championship
MEN'S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP PAGE
WOMEN'S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP PAGE
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State University Athletic Conference welcomes teams to its 2025 Men's and Women's Soccer Championships at Panzer Stadium on the University Park campus on Tuesday, November 4th. Four different campuses will be represented in the two games, as the men's game features two teams vying for their first title in program history. On the women's side, both teams have had recent success and have combined to win the last four PSUAC crowns.
Penn State Schuylkill knocked off Penn State Mont Alto in 2024 to win the Women's Soccer Championship, stopping Mont Alto's championship streak at three and setting Schuylkill on a path for a potential repeat and streak of their own. The teams will meet at 6:30 p.m. on the turf for the third time in five seasons. Schuylkill led the PSUAC in goals scored with 87 on the season with Mont Alto trailing by 15, notching 72 goals of their own. In two meetings this season, Schuylkill triumphed by scores of 2-1 and 3-1 to grab the regular season sweep.
For the first time since before 2015 the men's championship game will not feature the regular season champion, as two-seed Penn State New Kensington and five-seed Penn State Scranton will meet and seek their program's first men's soccer conference title. New Kensington won the only regular season meeting just over two weeks ago, a 5-0 win at home.
HOW THEY GOT HERE
The women's bracket played out as expected when considering seeds, as the top two seeds advanced to the championship match. Schuylkill finished the regular season 8-0 in the PSUAC while Mont Alto went 6-2 in conference. Both teams enter the championship match 11-5 overall.
Schuylkill continued its prolific offensive run with an 11-0 win over four-seed Penn State Beaver in the semifinals while Mont Alto topped Penn State New Kensington 7-1 to advance. Both teams excelled defensively as well in PSUAC play, with Mont Alto surrendering five goals (all to Schuylkill) and Schuylkill giving up six in their eight conference games.
The only upsets of either tournament came from Penn State Scranton, whose team started the season hot and after some midseason struggles has hit the gas pedal once again. Now, with two upset wins already, Scranton enters the championship match with another in view. Scranton beat Penn State York 2-0 on the road in the quarterfinals before pulling out a 2-1 thriller over top seed Penn State Greater Allegheny in the semifinals. New Kensington, meanwhile, took care of its business with a 5-0 win over Penn State Beaver in the quarters followed by a 2-0 win over defending champ Penn State Lehigh Valley on Saturday in the semifinals.
New Kensington enters the match with an overall record of 11-5-3, including 6-1-1 in PSUAC play while Scranton enters 9-8-1, including 4-3-1 in the conference.
WHO TO WATCH
The opening match of the day will feature the PSUAC Men's Soccer Player of the Year as New Kensington's Jayson Ireland looks to make his mark on the conference. The leading goal scorer with 22 total goals and 52 total points, Ireland earned this year's honors after being named Rookie of the Year in 2024. Ethan Krystek has also netted double-digit goals for New Kensington, securing 24 total points on 10 goals and four assists. Defensively, New Kensington's backline is led by First Team selection Finn Bethurum and goalkeeper Kenton Knox. Knox finished second in the conference with just 17 goals allowed ont he season and third in save percentage at .795.
Scranton's goalie Andrew Haser also finished the season tied for second in goals allowed at 17 in 12 games played, splitting time with Ryan Smith who played in 10 and gave up 18 goals. Scranton's Jack Eisele earned Second Team honors after scoring eight times and assisting on six goals this season, both top 10 stats in the PSUAC. He's joined by Billy Hogan, an Honorable Mention honoree, who also scored eight times and totaled 19 points.
Unsurprisingly, Mont Alto and Schuylkill dominated the PSUAC Women's Soccer awards, capturing 11 of the 14 First Team spots. Olivia Dress led the way for Schuylkill, being named PSUAC Women's Soccer Player of the Year after scoring 10 times and dishing out 11 assists for a total of 31 points. Teammate Nia Bronson led the league with 13 goals from the midfield while Makenzie Wechsler added nine goals for the top seed. Haley Sypniewski was named Defensive Player of the Year, while Victoria Grimm was the First Team goalkeeper in the PSUAC.
Mont Alto's Cameron Dillow hit the scene running, leading the PSUAC with 37 points on 11 goals and an incredible 15 asssists. Dillow was named PSUAC Rookie of the Year for her performance in the regular season and will lead an offensive push with Madison Eberly, who scored 10 times in 2025. Alexis Doyle was also a First Team selection after tallying 22 points on nine goals and four assists for Mont Alto. Alexis Mariano leads a talented and stout defensive line for the two-seed, which allowed only 18 goals all season.
WHAT'S NEXT
The winner of the PSUAC Men's Soccer Championship will receive an automatic berth into the United States Collegiate Athletic Association's Division II Men's Soccer Championship tournament scheduled for November 13-17 in Pittsburgh, Pa. The loser will await its fate and hope for an at-large bid.
The winner of the PSUAC Women's Soccer Championship will need to qualify for an at-large bid, meaning they need to finish in the top six of the final USCAA Women's Soccer Coaches Poll to qualify. The PSUAC does not meet the USCAA's requirement of six teams in order to receive an automatic bid for the conference champion.
HOW TO FOLLOW AND WATCH
Fans can attend the action live at Panzer Stadium--there is no admission charge for the event. Fans can also watch the games live and archived on the PSU Campus Athletics Network by downloading our app on their phone, tablet, or smart device (including TVs and streaming sticks) or by watching online at www.psucampusathletics.com. Search "PSU Campus Athletics Network" to find us!
FAN INFORMATION
For more details surrounding your trip to State College and the University Park campus, please check out our fan information page linked below and also available on our Championship page linked at the top.