Brandywine Hosts New Kensington In PSUAC Semifinals Saturday

MEDIA, Pa. -- Penn State Brandywine will be the No. 1 seed when it begins its Penn State University Athletic Conference title defense on Saturday in the semifinal round against No. 5 Penn State New Kensington at noon.

Brandywine went 9-0 in PSUAC play for the second-straight season under Head Coach Jesse Zafiratos to earn the top seed in the tournament for the fifth consecutive year. The Lions (14-3 overall) have dominated the PSUAC since 2013, posting a 50-2-1 record with three league titles in that span.

Entering Saturday's match, Brandywine has won 10-straight games, a streak that began on Sept. 23 with a 3-0 victory over New Kensington. Freshman Chris Riebman, the team's leading goal-scorer (21), netted all three scores in that matchup, while the defense allowed only one shot on goal as goalkeepers Will Scott-Norris and Brandon Welden combined on the shutout.

Riebman tops the conference in goals and ranks second in total points (47), while Brandon Crochunis (32 pts) and Mohamed Camara (28) also rank in the top six in scoring. The team's defense has also been stout all year, allowing only five goals in nine league matches and 16 scores overall.

Brandywine, which won every conference match by at least three goals this season, faced off with New Kensington in last year's semifinals, winning 2-0 on its home field. All-conference defender James Cellucci and current assistant coach Brad Jule accounted for the Lions' pair of goals in the victory that sent Brandywine to the championship.

New Kensington advanced to the semifinals following a 2-1 victory at No. 4 York on Wednesday in the quarterfinal round. For the second consecutive year, New Kensington, which owns a 7-4-1 record, enters the semifinals as the fifth-seeded team.

No. 2 Greater Allegheny will host No. 3 Hazleton in Saturday's second semifinal. The winners meet Wednesday night in State College at 6:00 pm for the PSUAC championship.