WESTMINSTER, Md. - Penn State Harrisburg's men's soccer team opened up the 2026 campaign with a 2-1 loss to McDaniel in a non-conference contest on Tuesday night, Sep. 1.
The Lions (0-1) generated the first shot on frame when
Tai Bhalla forced McDaniel goalkeeper Gavin Yartymtk into a save just over two minutes into the game. Ultimately, the Green Terror went out in front at the 4:33 mark thanks to a goal from Nicholas Clarke, assisted by Quinn Pudloski. After Penn State goalkeeper
Jimmy Shensky rejected an attempt by Eyuel Reta, Clarke added another marker off David O'Donnell's assist to quickly make it 2-0 in favor of the home team. The offensive threat of Clarke continued, with another attempt hitting the top of the woodwork early on in the first half.
The visitors'
Addis Tafese sent a shot wide left prior to McDaniel putting yet another shot on target which forced Shensky to make his second save of the day. Minutes before halftime,
Kristopher Lage and Bhalla both had attempts on frame to try to lessen the gap, but neither proved helpful in erasing the 2-0 deficit.
Coming out of the break, Penn State Harrisburg absorbed pressure through a nine-minute period as the Green Terror recorded five shots and a corner kick, with Shensky saving Donovan Green's attempt. The Lions quickly turned the tides in their favor, becoming the aggressor to earn a trio of corner kicks and taking four shots. The visitors finally got one on the board thanks to Bhalla's marker in the 72nd minute to make it 2-1. The Lions continued to try to claw back, which was apparent about the barrage of shots that McDaniel's back line and goalkeeper had to endure. However, the Green Terror held on to its slim 2-1 lead in order to take the season opener from the Lions.
NOTABLES
- Bhalla had the lone Penn State Harrisburg goal, to go along with five total shots and a trio of attempts on target.
- In his Lions debut, Shensky tailed three saves.
-
Josiah Shamberger, Quinton,
Kristian James, and
Djibril Fall all had a shot on frame against the Green Terror.
- The visitors out-shot McDaniel 15-11 and had seven total corner kicks compared to their two.
WHO'S NEXT?
The Lions are back on the road again on Friday night, Sep. 4 as they travel to Lycoming for another non-conference matchup.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can keep up with Penn State Harrisburg Athletics all season long on Instagram, Facebook, X, and Youtube using the handle @
pshbgathletics.
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