KINGS POINT, N.Y. - Despite taking the lead on two separate occasions, Penn State Harrisburg's men's soccer team had to settle for a 2-2 draw at Merchant Marine's Tomb Field in the second outing of a weekend road trip on Sunday afternoon, Sept. 17. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

Penn State Harrisburg (2-3-2) had no problem pulling ahead during its most-recent contest. The difficulty came in protecting leads, as the visitors watched Merchant Marine (0-4-3) quickly respond with a pair of equalizers just moments after the Lions found the back of the net during Sunday's tie. 

The aggression of Penn State Harrisburg was on display in the early going and after putting the pressure on the home team for much of the opening 15 minutes, the Lions broke through when Alexander Benbatoul found himself in the right place at the right time to hammer home a Kobe Harris rebound in the 17th minute. 

The advantage didn't last long, however, as the Mariners answered back with their first goal of the afternoon less than a minute and a half later. 

Things remained tied at 1-1 deep into the second half but Penn State Harrisburg ended the scoring drought in the 73rd minute when Ethan Cortes headed home a bouncing ball off the foot of Jaden Langdon and put the Lions back out in front.

For the second time, however, Merchant Marine wasted little time spoiling the visitors' lead thanks to a free kick marker less than two minutes after Penn State Harrisburg pulled ahead. The Mariners' second goal knotted things up in the 75th minute and neither squad was able to break the tie down the stretch.

NOTABLES

- Sunday's game was the first-ever meeting between the two program.

- Cortes' marker was his second of the season. He, along with Daniel Fombu, leads the team in goals. 

- Longdon's helper was his team-leading second assist of the fall. 

- Benbatoul's goal was his first of the season and the second of his career.

- Harris' assist accounted for his first point of the year. 

- Merchant Marine managed just two shots on target but both resulted in goals.

- Penn State Harrisburg outshot the Mariners 19-to-5. 

WHO'S NEXT?

The Lions return home to host Lycoming for another non-conference contest on Wednesday night. 

STAY CONNECTED 

Fans can keep up with Penn State Harrisburg Athletics all season long on Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Threads, and Youtube using the handle @pshbgathletics.