Men's Soccer | 11/9/2025 1:00:00 PM

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - No. 22 Bloomsburg men's soccer prepares for its Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship run on Monday, November 10, at 1:30 p.m. at Seton Hill.

The Huskies enter the opening round of the 2025 Men's Soccer PSAC Championship with a 9-2-6 overall record and a 4-2-4 mark in conference action. Bloomsburg finished as the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Division. The Griffins stand at 11-5-1 overall and enter the first round of the PSAC Championship as the West No. 2 seed with a conference record of 7-2-1.

Fans can purchase tickets with the following link through Hudl Tickets. Tickets are $12 for adults and $7 for kids K-12. PSAC students with a valid member institution I.D. receive free admission. Tickets can only be purchased via Hudl Tickets and must be made with a cashless purchase.

Inside the Matchup
These two teams have met regularly over the past three seasons as part of the nonconference slate. The Huskies are 3-0 in the games against the Griffins under head coach Mark Bassett, including two victories on the road. The two sides most recently met earlier this year on September 13 in Greensburg. The result was a 2-0 win for Bloomsburg, with Jake Pacacha (Shelton, Conn./St. Joseph) and Logan Savage (Bensalem, Pa./Archbishop Wood) both finding the back of the net in the second half on great feeds by Theo Jackson (Elmore, Ohio/Woodmore) and Braden Alicea (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./Lower Moreland). In 2024, the Griffins visited Steph Pettit Stadium during Homecoming Weekend and suffered a 1-0 defeat. Kody Besser (Lacey Township, N.J./Lacey Township) scored the goal in the contest with help from Adrian Rodriguez (Tarrytown, N.Y./Sleepy Hollow). In the first game against Seton Hill under Bassett, the Huskies defeated Seton Hill in the final moments of the match with a header from Sam Blumberger (Colchester, Conn./Bacon Academy).

Before the most recent run for Bloomsburg in the series, the Griffins held a 4-3 advantage, winning three consecutive matches from 2016 to 2018. The lone postseason meeting between the two teams was in 2014, with the Huskies getting the win in Erie to advance to the PSAC Championship Game. Overall, the series favors Bloomsburg, 6-4.

With both teams taking on games against intra- and interdivisional foes, the Huskies and Griffins share several common opponents. Bloomsburg is 2-1-4 in those contests, including two wins over Shepherd, two draws to Shippensburg, a draw with Lock Haven, and a draw and a defeat to East No. 1 seed, Millersville. Seton Hill is 3-1-1 against those shared opponents, nabbing a 1-0 win at Millersville, a win and a draw in its season series with Lock Haven, a victory against Shepherd, and a road defeat to Shippensburg.

The Griffins have qualified for nine PSAC Tournaments since joining the conference in 2013. In games where Seton Hill opens its postseason run, the Griffins are 3-5-1. Seton Hill has only faced one Eastern Division foe in the conference tournament, which is Millersville. Since 2013, Seton Hill has never beaten Millersville in the chase for a PSAC Championship.

Bassett's Hounds
Bloomsburg men's soccer has reached unparalleled success in the program's history under the guidance of Bassett. In his four seasons at the helm, Bassett has accumulated a record of 58-24-14 (.677) to this point with a 31-16-9 (.634) mark in conference action. The 58 victories are tied for the third most by a coach in team history, while topping the career winning percentage mark. Bassett leads the Huskies into their fourth consecutive PSAC Tournament appearance, the longest such stretch in program history.

Under the direction of Bassett, the Huskies have accumulated 23 All-PSAC East nods, including coaching Patrick Walsh (Macungie, Pa./Emmaus) to PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Year honors in 2024 and helping Owen Hollobaugh (State College, Pa./State College) to Freshman of the Year acclaim in 2023. The 2024 campaign was a record-shattering season for the Huskies on multiple levels. Bloomsburg finished with a single-season record of 15 victories. The Huskies had a program-best seven players earn All-PSAC East distinction. Bloomsburg matched the 2014 squad with four United Soccer Coaches All-Region honors and secured the first three All-America nods from the organization in program history. Defender Kody Besser (Lacey Township, N.J./Lacey Township) and goalkeeper Brady Rimple (Cherryville, Pa./Northampton Area) were first-team selections, while Hollobaugh was a third-team choice. Walsh brought home All-America recognition of his own, third-team distinction from the Division II Conference Commissioner's Association (D2CCA). In addition to their success on the field, Walsh (First Team) and Rimple (Second Team) were named College Sports Communicators Academic All-Americans.

On his own shelf, Bassett received PSAC East Coach of the Year honors for the second time in his tenure in 2024, previously earning the distinction in 2022. Bassett and assistant coach Patrick Alvarez were honored by United Soccer Coaches as the Division II Atlantic Region Coaching Staff of the Year, another first in the program's history. In the last four seasons, Bassett has matched the program's single-season wins record, set a new bar in single-season victories, led the program to its first NCAA Tournament victory in team history in 2023 with a 2-1 victory over Southern New Hampshire, and hosted the first NCAA Regional match in program history in 2024 against Felician.

Experience Matters
With the program's success comes the challenges of maintaining it, and luckily for the Huskies, there is a wealth of experience across the team, not just alone but playing together. 10 members of the Bloomsburg have played 30 games in Maroon & Gold, six have appeared in at least 50, four have played 60, and Alicea, the lone player over 70 career appearances with 75 and 70 collegiate starts. The Huskies have managed to add great squad players through the transfer portal. In 2024, it was Quaid Molino (Charleston, S.C./Wando (S.C.)), who has now appeared in 36 games with 18 starts for Bloomsburg and 67 in total. This season, the Huskies brought in Theo Jackson (Elmore, Ohio/Woodmore) and Connor Fiadino (Burlington, N.J./Burlington Township), adding quality depth to their position groups. Jackson appeared in 27 contests with 23 starts for Malone, while Fiadino saw time in 23 games and made 10 starts for Millersville.

Nine of the 18 players who appeared in the PSAC Championship game a season ago for Bloomsburg are back with the team.

Final Notes
The scoring for Seton Hill this season is led by junior forward James Aubrey. The Hertfordshire, England native has a team-leading 11 goals and has two assists for a team-high 24 points. The Griffins have three additional players with double-digit points this season. Rowan Aisenbrey and Julian Marker in the midfield each have four goals and five assists to their names in 2025. Felix Knorn adds another notable point contributor in the midfield for Seton Hill, totaling three goals and four assists for 10 points. The Griffins have nine players this year with multiple goals and eight with multiple assists.

A key to success for Bloomsburg will be controlling the game with its defense. The Huskies have posted nine shutouts this season, good for the ninth-best shutout percentage in the country at .529. The Huskies have given up multiple goals in a game only once this season. In games keeping a clean sheet, Bloomsburg is 5-0-4. The Huskies have been at their most vulnerable this season when on the back foot. When surrendering a goal this season, Bloomsburg is 4-2-2. Remaining aggressive defensively will likely help the Huskies create opportunities on the attacking front.

Bloomsburg will need to find shades of its offensive acumen from 2024 if it hopes to replicate its PSAC Championship result from a season ago. The Huskies' scoring offense this season has dropped from 1.81 in 2024 to 1.12 in 2025, a shift from 50th to 148th in the country. A partial reason for that drop off could be the decrease in opportunities at the corner flag. Bloomsburg was 34th in Division II last year with 5.52 corner kicks per contest. That number has also experienced a drop off, this one 3.65 and 154th nationally. If the Huskies can be more aggressive in the final third to attack set pieces, then the team will exponentially increase its goal-scoring threats.

Monday's contest will be a battle of in-form forwards. Aubrey and Hollobaugh have each had strong conclusions to the regular season. The Griffin junior has five goals and an assist in his last three matches, including a hat trick against Pitt-Johnstown. Hollobaugh has three goals and an assist in his last four contests and has had several near-misses throughout the campaign. The two lead players at the top of each team's formation will likely have a significant impact on the outcome of Monday's match.

The Huskies will have the opportunity on Monday to face off with a goalkeeper they have already beaten twice this season. Seton Hill junior Jannik Reiss, a transfer from St. Francis (PA), has been the Griffins' primary option between the woodwork. Across 17 games and starts this season, Reiss has given up multiple goals in seven contests. On the season, Reiss has made 36 stops for a .590 save percentage in 17 matches. The goalkeeper has conceded 25 goals for a 1.49 goals against average. An aggressive mindset on the attack for Bloomsburg will be needed to compete against the PSAC's best. Monday's matchup might just be a great starting point.