New Look Lions Growing Together

Freshman midfielder Jack Eisele takes a corner kick at home this season.
Freshman midfielder Jack Eisele takes a corner kick at home this season.
September 24, 2024
DUNMORE, Pa. - The 2024 Men's Soccer Team may be young and new but this year's squad is quickly growing by leaps and bounds. Featuring 20 first-year players or transfers, the new look Lions demonstrated their growth in matches played this past week.
 
Hosting Penn State New Kensington this past Friday, the 'Men in Gray' gave the reigning PSUAC Championship finalists all they could handle in an exhilarating 3-2 setback.  After a back and forth first few minutes of the opening half, New Kensington took a 1-0 lead but the local Lions answered right back when just over three minutes later freshman wing wonder Aiden Turner finished off a sweet set up from fellow frosh and midfield maestro Jack Eisele and the match was tied.
 
The taut tilt remained deadlocked for nearly 35 minutes before the visitors scored a pair of goals to take a 3-1 advantage. In the past, such as last season when New Kensington outshot PSU Scranton 36-3 in route to a 4-0 win, a two-goal deficit would have been too much to overcome. But this year's New Look Lions roared back, mounting numerous attacks in New Ken's end leading to a number of corner kicks and quality goal scoring chances. Then with 24 minutes remaining, freshman phenom Tommy Buker booted a beauty of a free kick from 25 yards out that found fellow frosh phenom Amani Byirinboro for a score to pull the home team to within one goal.  The local Lions continued to battle to the final whistle, showing that they could indeed compete with one of the top teams in their conference.
 
Twenty-four hours later, the PSU Scranton booters hit the road for a non-conference clash with Carlow University and using their team depth, gutted out a 2-0 triumph. Each squad took turns creating offensive opportunities during the first half when 32 minutes in Amani Byirinboro found freshman striker Fabrice Gatsinzi with a precision pass in the opposition's box and 'Flash' finished the feed for his team leading 7th goal of the season to give the visiting Lions a 1-0 lead.
 
Just moments later, fantastic first-year winger Hector Cabreja Rodriguez stole the ball at midfield and dribbled around and through multiple Celtic defenders before being dragged down in Carlow's box, earning a penalty kick. The omnipresent Amani stepped to the stripe and ripped a rocket into the back of the net to double the Lions' advantage.
 
From that point on, a pride of Lions held off the determined hosts' hopes of a comeback as goalkeepers Ryan Smith (3 saves) and Andrew Haser ( 5 saves, including a penalty kick) combined for the shutout. Stalwart backs Will Nagy, Angel Magana and Joseph Loran joined with frosh defenders Josh Fanelli and Rodriguez to limit the Carlow scoring chances while midfielders Tomas de los Rios, Nick Pallman, Jack Eisele, Raphael Carvalho, Zach Eynon, Aiden Turner, Piero Parravacini, Adrian Sokolowski, Lawson Measic and Buker worked together to stymie numerous offensive threats.