Friday, October 30, 2026
Penn College women's soccer opens postseason play Saturday, Oct. 31, when the second-seeded Wildcats host seventh-seeded Cairn University in a United East Conference quarterfinal at UPMC Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
The Wildcats enter the tournament at 12-4-1 overall after finishing second in the United East standings with a 7-1-0 conference record and 21 points. Penn College earned one of four quarterfinal hosting spots following a strong league campaign, finishing just one point behind top-seeded Penn State Harrisburg.
Penn College's success has been fueled by a balanced attack and a stingy defense. The Wildcats scored 23 goals and allowed just five in conference play, establishing themselves as one of the league's top teams on both sides of the ball.
"Much like the last few seasons, our team has benefited from a strong balance of experienced upperclassmen and talented young players," head coach Ian Scheller said. "From the beginning, we believed this group had the potential to achieve something special."
The Wildcats have been in four consecutive conference semifinal games and feel that their preparation during the regular season can help them reach their first conference final since the 2017 season.
"To prepare ourselves, we challenged our team with a highly competitive nonconference schedule and faced six of the seven other teams that qualified for the United East playoffs during the regular season," Scheller said. "Ramapo, for me, was a turning point that began a stretch where we outscored teams 28-6 and produced eight clean sheets in the next 11 games. During that time, we also won our first game over Penn State Berks in our program's history, beat Saint Mary's and Farmingdale State (16-time NCAA qualifier). This was evidence that our team could play in big matches, and it has given us confidence going into the playoffs."
Sophomore forward Megan Kurian (Limerick) paced the offensive attack with 35 points on 15 goals and five assists. The 2024 United East Player and Rookie of the Year continued to produce after returning from a season-ending injury that limited her to six appearances in 2025. Kurian scored a hat trick in the Wildcats' season-opening 5-0 victory over Delaware Valley and has been a consistent scoring threat throughout the fall. Kurian scored at least one goal against every conference opponent the Wildcats faced this year and led the United East with 10 goals in conference contests.
Freshman Camryn Lobb (Lititz) has provided another major offensive presence. Lobb scored twice in a 4-0 victory over Cedar Crest and reached 30 points with 12 goals and six assists to give the Wildcats one of the most potent dual-threat attacks in the league, while the Wildcats can also rely on six more goal scorers from the regular season.
The Wildcats' defensive play has been equally important. Penn College recorded four consecutive shutouts during a mid-October stretch that included victories over St. Mary's, Cedar Crest, Farmingdale State and Penn State Abington. Goalkeeper Harley Oliphant (Red Lion) and a defense anchored by experienced players, including seniors Makayla Bucks (Palmyra) and Sierra Klinger (Herndon) and sisters Gianna and Ava Gamble (Selinsgrove), have helped limit opponents' scoring opportunities.
Cairn arrives in Williamsport with an 8-5-2 overall record and a 3-4-1 mark in conference play. The Highlanders earned the tournament's seventh seed with 10 points and finished the regular season with 49 goals scored and 23 allowed overall. While Penn College holds the advantage in conference record and defensive production against league opponents, Cairn's offensive output makes the visitors a team the Wildcats cannot overlook.
"Cairn is a team we are incredibly familiar with because we share many common opponents from the season. We've had the opportunity to watch them play some of the other top teams in the conference. They are a very capable team with a dynamic attack. They will play with patience and composure, so we're going to need to be sharp to keep them off the scoresheet. Fortunately, we have a capable backline and goalkeeper that have done a great job this season keeping us clean," Scheller said.
Other women's soccer quarterfinal matchups on Saturday feature Penn State Harrisburg hosting No. 8 Wilson; No. 3 St. Mary's hosting No. 6 Penn State Abington, and No. 4 Penn State Berks hosting No. 5 Lancaster Bible. The quarterfinal winners advance to Wednesday's semifinals, and the conference championship will be played on Saturday, Nov. 7.
"I think the tournament could be full of surprises. I believe there is a lot of parity between the top teams. I think there is a chance we could see a new champion this year, but I also believe Harrisburg are very capable of defending their crown. It's the most open the field has felt in a long time, and I believe we're amongst the teams who could make some noise this postseason." Scheller said.
With home-field advantage and one of the conference's most productive forwards leading the way, Penn College will look to turn its regular-season success into a postseason run. The Wildcats' combination of scoring depth, defensive consistency and experience will be key as they pursue a place in the conference semifinals.
"We start with a challenging contest against a good Cairn side and if we progress, we will need to battle with either Abington or Saint Mary's, two teams we are very familiar with, to book our place in a potential United East Final."
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