GREENVILLE, Pa. (Sept. 25) — The Thiel College men's soccer team rallied from an early deficit to earn a 2-1 victory over Bethany in Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) play Friday night at Alumni Stadium at Stoeber Field.
Thiel (4-4-1, 1-1-1 PAC) picks up their first PAC win of the 2026 season as Bethany drops to 0-7-0 (0-4-0 PAC)
Bethany struck first, scoring just 45 seconds into the match to carry the Bison into halftime with a 1-0 lead.
The Tomcats responded in the second half, with
Mitchell Strauss (Bradford, Pa./Bradford Area) scoring the equalizer in the 73rd minute at 72:15 to even the match at 1-1.
Thiel continued to apply pressure and took the lead in the 84th minute when
Rylan Piccirilli (Sharpsville, Pa./Sharpsville) scored his first collegiate goal at 83:01. Strauss assisted on the go-ahead goal to give the Tomcats a 2-1 advantage.
The Blue and Gold finished with a 21-14 advantage in shots and a 12-5 edge in shots on goal. Strauss led the Tomcats with four shots on goal, while Piccirilli added four shots, including three on target and
Peyton Kushon (Pittsburgh, Pa./Deer Lakes) took five total shots, two on goal.
Dylan Budziak (Mentor, Ohio/Mentor) recorded four saves in goal for Thiel.
The Tomcats return to action Tuesday, Sept. 29, when they travel to Pittsburgh to take on Chatham. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
