Mustangs Hold Off PSU Lehigh Valley, Advance to Championship

Coraopolis, PA – CMCC Men's Soccer is going back to the USCAA DII Championship game for the second straight year after a 3-2 victory over #4 Penn State Lehigh Valley. The Mustangs triumphed on a windy day at the AHN Montour Sports Complex thanks to goals from Daniel Semple, Mitch Cameron, and Drew Hatala.

Once again, Central Maine struck early, taking the lead inside the first ten minutes of the match. Three freshmen combined for the opening goal. Midfielder Yoan Thériault clipped a pass over the top from the center circle for winger Albie Fozard-Oakes to run into down the right. He in turn delivered a low cross for forward Semple to bury his shot from just outside the area, making it 1-0 in the 8^th minute. It was Semple's second straight game with a goal at the USCAA National Championships and his 18^th of the year, good enough for second on the team behind Cameron.

But for the first time in more than a month, CMCC conceded a goal. In the 25^th minute, Penn State captain Jack Montesdeoca fed a through ball in between Mitchell Maceda and Massimo Di Pilato to put Mahdi Ali in on goal from the left. Ali, who had just subbed into the game three minutes earlier, put a low shot into the back of the net to even the match at 1-1 and stun the Mustangs. It was only the sixth game Central Maine had allowed a goal in all season.

The #1 ranked squad had the majority of possession for the rest of the half and attempted six more shots but had to go into the break still tied. Goalkeeper Cody Cleaveland was also called into action to deny two good chances that could have put the Nittany Lions in front. First, the sophomore from Richmond, ME stopped Chase Nederostek from the top of the box in the 35^th minute. Five minutes later, he got a fingertip on Billy Reinoso-Naula's well-struck effort to push it onto the crossbar.

The second half began as a much more back-and-forth affair. Both teams had opportunities from corner kicks in the first five minutes, but it was a special strike in the 57^th minute that saw CMCC retake the lead.

Hatala's penetrating dribble from the left wing was cut off but the ball was poked away only as far as Mikel Soto in midfield. The Madrid, Spain native played a square pass across to captain Cameron who picked his head up and saw space from 35 yards out. The USCAA Player of the Year showed why he was deserving of the accolade with a spectacular strike, hitting a dipping shot from distance that curled over goalkeeper Hadi Ali's valiant dive before nestling in the top corner's side netting. It was Cameron's team-leading 23^rd goal of the campaign to make it 2-1.

The amazing finish gave the Mustangs all the momentum and put wind back in the team's sails. Cameron nearly doubled the lead two minutes later, dribbling through the defense but seeing his left-footed shot held. Another effort from the top of the 18-yard box was scooped up in the 62^nd minute.

All the sustained pressure finally broke through in the 75^th minute. Fozard-Oakes somehow hit the crossbar with a narrow-angle shot from the end line that the wind nearly helped in. The resulting corner kick was taken short. Cameron chipped the ball to the back post for Fozard-Oakes who brought it down. His low pass was blocked by a defender but fell kindly to Hatala on the edge of the six-yard box. The freshman out of Oak Hill High School powered his shot into the roof of the net for a two-goal lead.

However, Penn State-Lehigh Valley once again had a response. Just 43 seconds after the restart and 13 passes later, Remy Chaker played a long ball out from deep in his own half. Mateo Schneidt was suddenly in behind the defense racing on to the long pass. The assistant referee's flag stayed down and Schneidt chipped the ball off the outside of his right foot, sending his shot over Cleaveland's head and just under the crossbar to make it 3-2 and set up a frantic final quarter of an hour.

It was the Nittany Lions offense's turn to seize momentum, making several surging runs into the box but failing to find the final pass to set up a good attempt on target. On the other end, the Mustangs were happy to counterattack, creating chances of their own for Michael Quinn and Di Pilato. Yellow cards were issued to Cleaveland, Cameron, and the PSU-Lehigh Valley bench as CMCC desperately looked to close things out.

One last chance came from a foul by Soto in the last minute. With everyone pushing forward, Montesdeoca found Chaker open on the left. The defender swung a ball in from just outside the box that rode the breeze and hit the crossbar before bouncing away with ten seconds left. Central Maine cleared the danger and punched their ticket to the national championship game for the second straight year.

The Mustangs ended the game with a 28-11 in shot attempts but only a 6-5 advantage in efforts on target. Both goalkeepers finished with three saves. CMCC's pressure led to a 9-2 edge in corner kicks, but they were whistled for 18 fouls compared to just seven for the Nittany Lions. Penn State-Lehigh Valley, who spent much of the season ranked #2 in the country, ends its campaign with an 11-4-3 overall record while Central Maine remains unbeaten at 15-0-3.

The Mustangs men's soccer program is now 5-3-2 all-time in pool play games at the national tournament. This was the team's second straight win at this stage over PSU-Lehigh Valley, having beaten them 5-0 in 2024.

CMCC now faces the #3 seeded University of Cincinnati-Clermont Cougars for the national title on Monday, November 17^th at Highmark Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA. It will be the first meeting between the two sides since a 2-0 win for the Mustangs in the opening pool play game of the 2022 USCAA Championships. Kick-off is scheduled for 1:00 pm.