Lions Earn Shutout Victory Over Houghton Behind Strong Defensive Performance

ERIE, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend men's soccer team earned their first victory at home this season behind a strong defensive performance against Houghton in the team's final non-conference game. The Lions improve to 3-2-2 heading into conference play.

Final Score: Penn State Behrend 2, Houghton 0
Records: Penn State Behrend (3-2-2), Houghton (3-3-1)

Key Moments:

* Behrend got on the board first thanks to a header by Justin LeDonne (Murrysville, PA/Franklin Regional) in the 12^th minute
* Junior Blake Cooper (Murrysville, PA/Franklin Regional) sent a beautiful ball in to the box that found the head of LeDonne for his first score of the season
* This would be the only goal by either team in the first 45 minutes
* Cooper put the Lions ahead 2-0 to begin the second half
* In the 54^th minute, Cooper received a lead pass from teammate Cole Thomas (Pittsburgh, PA/Baldwin) and deposited the ball into the back of the net
* Sophomore Evan Dougal (Gibsonia, PA/Pine-Richland) was strong in his first collegiate start, making four saves and tallying his first collegiate win
* The Lions defense earned their third shutout in their non-conference finale
* A big play by Dougal came in the 57^th minute when he made a great save going one-on-one with a Houghton attacker
* After recording two points in Wednesday's contest, Cooper now leads the team with six points on the season
* Andy Loomis tallied a game-high four shots for the Highlanders, while LeDonne led the Lions with two shots

Up Next:

Behrend continues its three-game homestand and begins AMCC play against La Roche on Saturday, Sep. 23. Game time is slated for 4:00 p.m.