Plum grad Lucas Pittman helps drive Penn State Behrend offense as Lions hunt AMCC soccer title

Like any college freshman, Lucas Pittman had the usual uncertainties rolling around in his head when he arrived at Penn State Behrend last summer. New environment, knowing few people, wondering how best to juggle classes and extracurricular activities.

The good news for the Plum grad was he had at least one familiar face to help him through the transition: his twin brother, Ben. Sure, they had their little confrontations like any siblings. They exchanged their fair share of barbs and got under each other’s skin now and again.

But when it’s all said and done, there’s plenty of brotherly love.

“Yeah, that always helps,” Lucas said about having his brother present. “You don’t know most of the people (in college) right off the bat. You always have a sibling there who’s like a best friend, so it’s nice to have that one extra person to rely on.”

Lucas Pittman seemed to adapt to college, not to mention college soccer, quite well. Last season, as Behrend finished 7-1-1 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (13-5-3 overall), Pittman appeared in 18 matches and registered two goals and three assists from his midfield spot.

The three assists tied him for second on the team.

Behrend qualified for the AMCC Tournament but was ousted in the semifinals by Alfred State. The Lions received a consolation prize by earning a bid to the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament, where they advanced to the title game before losing 2-1 in overtime to Alvernia.

Still, the loss in the AMCC semifinals was difficult to swallow.

“I definitely think it was a little shocking because when we played Alfred the first time (in conference play), we beat them,” Pittman said referring to Behrend’s 2-0 win Oct. 10. “We’re keeping positive right now. … We have that same goal just to forget about it, and what happened in the past is in the past.”

As Behrend prepared for the 2024 season, there was another change Pittman and his teammates had to face: Long-time coach Dan Perritano retired after 31 seasons. In stepped assistant Chris Ralph, a former Behrend player who was a keeper under Perritano and served three seasons on his staff.

Pittman said even though it was difficult to see Perritano go, he was confident Ralph could slip comfortably into the head coaching role. Given his success as a player in the program — he posted a 43-9-6 mark and earned numerous postseason accolades — and his familiarity with the players, Ralph, Pittman said, was a natural fit.

“He’s pretty confident, and he helped us a lot last season,” Pittman said. “And he played here and did well himself, so he understands the goals.

“He wanted to come back and must have loved it so much that he didn’t want to get away from it, so I feel like that shows the team and everyone else the effort and dedication he puts in day-in and day-out just for the team.”

Much is expected of Penn State Behrend again. The Lions were picked to finish second in the AMCC preseason coaches’ poll, with Mt. Aloysius in the top spot.

Ralph noted his team hasn’t been to the NCAA Tournament for four seasons, something it would like to change this fall. Pittman, he said, will play a prominent role in that effort.

An attacking midfielder, Pittman (6-foot-1, 172 pounds) helps drive the Lions’ offense.

“He’s a unique player,” Ralph said. “At any point in a game, he can just kind of take over the attack and be the centerpiece of all the combination play and be dangerous going forward. He’s also a clean, solid technical player.

“He’s a big guy. He’s long. He’s strong. Technical for a big guy, but he’s also quick and creative on the ball.”

Ralph said he is expecting Pittman to make a big jump in performance.

That doesn’t necessarily mean piling up goals. Behrend has plenty of firepower with last season’s top-two goal scorers returning: seniors Blake Cooper (12) and Jonathan Swann (eight).

As Ralph noted, for the men up front to put balls in the net, a lot has to go right behind them. That’s where Pittman comes in with his propensity for pushing the ball into the opponent’s third.

Pittman said having prolific scorers such as Cooper and Swann helps to fuel his runs up the field.

“I like to feed off both Swann and Blake’s energy on the field,” he said. “They bring a lot of effort and grit. The more I play with them, the more I’m getting used to everything, and we’re getting better and better at making stuff happen.”

Pittman and Cooper solidified their connection by working out together in the offseason, along with Ben Pittman and Nate Coleman. Cooper is a Franklin Regional grad, and Coleman is a Kiski Area grad.

When he wasn’t working out in the small-group setting or playing pick-up with other college players from around the WPIAL, Lucas Pittman would work out one-on-one with his brother.

The goal, of course, is to push Behrend back to the NCAA Tournament.

The Lions split their first two matches of the season and won’t open AMCC play until Sept. 28 at La Roche.

Behrend will face AMCC favorite Mt. Aloysius on the road Oct. 12.

A lot has to go right for Pittman and his teammates over the next two months, but he is confident the Lions will be vying for the conference title come November.

“I 100% believe in this team and what we’re doing,” he said. “I feel like everyone is pretty close as a team. It’s more than soccer. There’s a lot of friendships off the field, so I just feel like when you have all that all together, it just makes everyone play that extra percent better.”