WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – With two schools separated by just three miles, it’s no surprise that Saturday’s men’s soccer game between Lycoming College and Penn College has a heightened intensity. Now, the game will have an added element, as the team’s will compete in the first Battle for the Lumber, with the winner taking back a trophy from the neutral site Balls Mills Complex.
Admission to the 7 p.m. game at the complex is $3 for adults and students and $1 for children 6 years and younger.
The rivalry between the two schools, especially in men’s soccer, is just reaching its fruition, as the teams have played just three times since 2005, with the Warriors holding a 2-0-1 advantage in the all-time series. However, due to the schools proximity, it has already become a natural and heated rivalry.
The trophy game is named in honor of the history of the city of Williamsport as the Lumber Capitol of the World in the late 1800s. Perhaps appropriately, the trophy will likely pass just blocks from Millionaire’s Row en route to the Balls Mills Soccer Complex. Millionaire’s Row is the most visible remaining link to that period, as large 100-plus year-old mansions line the street, showing the unique prosperity that the city embraced during that period.
Lycoming (3-3 overall) is looking to win its second straight game against the Wildcats after posting a 5-1 win in the 2009 season opener. Chris Lorenzet and Zach Frederick led the way in that game, combining for three goals and three assists while David Bald made 10 saves in net for the Warriors. However, all three have graduated.
The 2010 team has posted a balanced scoring attack so far, as sophomore Matt Snively (Hollywood, Md./Leonardtown), sophomore Jimmy Deasel (Kingsville, Md./Loyola Blakefield) and senior #Brad Houseknecht# (Milford, Pa./Delaware Valley) all lead the team with two goals apiece.
Penn College (3-1 overall) enters the game having won three straight after beating Southern Virginia, 1-0, on Sept. 15. Goalkeeper Daniel Shaffer is currently 14th in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association with a 1.33 goals against average and 15th with an .833 save percentage.
Directions to Balls Mills Soccer Complex
- FROM I-180: Go North on Rt. 15 to the Hepburnville exit (4.7 miles). Bear right to the light. Turn right on Lycoming Creek Road. Go 7/10ths of a mile to Smith Street (located between Abby Signs on the left and Union Radiator Shop on the right just after Bing's Motel). Turn right on Smith Street and go to the complex.
- FROM Rt. 15 North: Go South on Rt. 15 to Hepburnville exit. Follow above instructions to the fields.
