Behrend Men’s Soccer Set To Host Annual Herb Lauffer Memorial Tournament

ERIE, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend men's soccer team will host the annual Herb Lauffer Memorial Soccer Tournament this weekend at the soccer complex, beginning on Saturday, Aug. 31 and finishing on Sunday, Sep. 1. The Lions take on Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) at 12:00 p.m. in the first game of the tournament.

Weekend Schedule/Live Coverage:

Saturday
August 31: Behrend vs. MCLA, 12:00 p.m. (Video | Live Stats)
August 31: Lycoming vs. Baldwin Wallace, 2:30 p.m. (Video | Live Stats)

Sunday
September 1: Consolation Game, 12:00 p.m. (Video)
September 1: Championship Game, 2:30 p.m. (Video)

Behrend News & Notes:

* The Lions concluded the 2023 season with a 13-5-3 overall record, falling 2-1 in double-overtime to Alvernia in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championship Game
* Behrend returns All-AMCC First Team selection senior midfielder Blake Cooper (Murrysville, PA/Franklin Regional), along with a handful of All-Conference Second and Third Team honorees from a year ago in senior Johnathan Swann (Allison Park, PA/North Allegheny), sophomore Nate Coleman (Vandergrift, PA/Kiski Area), senior Andrew Cassano (Bethel Park, PA/Bethel Park), junior Jac Caputo (Pittsburgh, PA/Montour), and junior Brock Kiefer (Eighty-Four, PA/Canon McMillan)
* Last season, Cooper ranked third in the AMCC and first on the team with 32 points, eight assists, and four game-winners, while finishing with a team-high 12 goals
* Swann was second on the team with eight goals and 19 points, followed by Coleman's two goals and two assists in his first collegiate season
* On the defensive side, Caputo, Cassano, and Kiefer helped the Lions record a plethora of shutouts
* Along with these six players, Behrend welcomes back 16 returners, while bringing in 10 newcomers (eight freshmen/two transfers) to the squad this year
* The Lions were chosen to finish as the runner-up in the 2024 Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Preseason Coaches' Poll
* Head coach Chris Ralph is in his first season at the helm of the program after serving three years as the assistant to longtime head coach Dan Perritano, who retired this past May
* Joining Ralph on the sideline is first-year assistant Matt Baleno. A Pittsburgh native, Baleno was a 2018 graduate from Behrend and a four-year member of the men's soccer team (2014-2017), finishing his career with three goals and four assists for 10 points in 76 games played

Meet the Opposition:

* MCLA concluded last season with a 5-7-3 overall record and a 1-4-2 record in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) play
* Jacob Malburg led the Trailblazers with 10 points (three goals/four assists), while Marcos Lopez scored three goals and dished out an assist for seven points. David Kankam tied for the team lead last year with four goals
* The Trailblazers were selected to finish seventh in the 2024 MASCAC Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll
* Head coach Adam Hildabrand begins his 17^th season at the helm of the men's soccer program
* This marks the first meeting in program history between Behrend and MCLA

* Lycoming finished the 2023 season with an overall record of 11-4-6 and a Landmark Conference record of 7-0-2
* The Warriors were defeated by Catholic, 1-0, in the conference championship
* Returning to the pitch this season for Lycoming are All-Landmark Second Team selections forward Christian Woobay, midfielder Jaedan Asare, and Kenny Clapp
* Woobay tied for the team lead with 11 points (four goals/three assists), while Asare recorded four goals and two assists for 10 points and Clapp tallied a team-high eight assists
* John Schwien was named the 10^th head coach of the men's soccer team in June
* The Lions and Warriors have split their previous two meetings, last meeting in the 2018 NCAA Tournament where Behrend was victorious 1-0

* Baldwin Wallace ended last year with an overall record of 7-10-2 and a record of 3-5-1 in Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play
* Junior midfielder Mathew Skladany was third on the team with nine points (three goals/three assists), while Alex Horak, Jacob Frank, and Max Yakm each scored three goals apiece last season
* The Yellow Jackets were tabbed to finish seventh in the 2024 OAC Men's Soccer Coaches' Poll
* This marks the 23^rd season as the leader of the men's soccer program for head coach Reid Ayers
* Behrend won, 4-1, against Baldwin Wallace in the 2021 HLM Tournament. The Lions lead the all-time series 9-4-1, dating back to 1991