MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – Penn State Harrisburg's men's soccer team overcame an early 2-0 deficit and scored three unanswered second-half goals to stun previously unbeaten New York University (NYU) in a 3-2 victory on Sunday afternoon, Sept. 15.

Brandon Axton netted the game winner in the 75th minute after Kobe Harris converted the equalizer two minutes prior and Alex Afata got the Lions (4-2-1) on the board early in the second half. Malachi Abma added an assist on the game-tying score.

The duo of Bryce Lexow and Terra Nagai stole the show in the early going for the Violets (3-1-1), with the former netting the game's first goal off a feed from the latter just seven minutes into the contest. Less than two minutes later, the pair struck again with the players reversing roles when Nagai found the back of the net off a Lex helper to double the NYU advantage.  

The home team turned up the aggression after the break and was rewarded when a blocked header was rebounded by Afata in the box and blasted past NYU goalkeeper Jackson McCloskey to cut the deficit in half in the 50th minute.

Later in the half, Penn State Harrisburg took advantage of an NYU foul near midfield when Abma gathered a bouncing ball off a free kick and made a perfectly placed pass to a driving Harris who finished off his attempt from point-blank range to pull the Lions even in the 73rd minute.

Penn State Harrisburg struck again less than three minutes later when Axton pressed the issue on a long clearance, beat an NYU defender, and gathered a mishandled touch by McCloskey before firing the game winner into an empty net with less than 15 minutes left to play to complete the furious comeback.

NOTABLES

- With the win, the Lions improved to 2-0 all-time vs. NYU.

- Axton's game winner was his team-leading third of the fall.

- Afata and Harris each netted their second marker of the season on Sunday.

- Abma's helper was his second assist of the year.

- The Lions outshot NYU 8-7 overall and 5-3 in shots on goal.

- Each team managed four corner kicks.

WHO'S NEXT?

The Lions host Shenandoah for another non-conference tilt on Wednesday night.  

STAY CONNECTED 

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