Penn State Brandywine Captures 7th Straight PSUAC Men's Soccer Title

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State Brandywine met expectations once again. A team that has come to anticipate a championship each and every year completed their goal in 2023 with a 2-0 win over Penn State New Kensington in the 2023 PSUAC Men's Soccer Championship on Tuesday evening at Panzer Stadium.

Back at the Division I lacrosse program's turf stadium for the second straight year, Brandywine managed to capture its seventh straight men's soccer championship, this time against a new challenger.

With wind whipping behind Brandywine's back during the first half, the defending champs controlled the ball and managed a couple of shots while holding New Kensington to no shots on goal. But even with the wind advantage, Brandywine missed a couple of opportunities, including a cross and a header that just grazed the top of the crossbar as it went over the net just three minutes in. The teams went to the locker room the way they started the match--deadlocked 0-0.

It took fifteen minutes in the second half for Brandywine to finally break through and sneak it past New Kensington keeper Kenton Knox. Jayden Barragan took a ball from Chris Manful and found the back of the net to give Brandywine the 1-0 lead just into the 61st minute. 

Brandywine would need no more goals, as its defense stifled every New Kensington attack, and eventually Francis Sarpong found an open net after Knox fell down to make it 2-0 with less than eight minutes to play.

Brandywine outshot New Kensington 5-3 and had three corners while New Kensington managed none. Knox recorded the only two saves of the game.

The win gives Brandywine the PSUAC's automatic berth into the USCAA Division II Men's Soccer National Championship tournament set to begin November 17th in Pittsburgh.