In the end, the Red Raiders would come out victorious with the help of a Wesley Cooke goal off a pass from teammate Connell Stabinger, where Cooke took the ball and slid it to the far corner of the net, scoring at 26:52 in the second half.

From there, the defense was able to hold on as Bellefonte improved to 2-0 on the season while Penns Valley falls to 1-1.

“Overall, the first half we played pretty decently. Their defense locked us down and we couldn’t great shots,” said Bellefonte coach Scott Martz on the performance. “I thought overall we moved the ball really well. We’re not used to grass (fields).”

Bellefonte’s offense served as a strong defense as they kept the Rams pinned on their own side of the field. They were able to maintain that through the second half, forcing the Rams back on their heels.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bellefonte's John Servant dribbles the ball during the boys soccer team's road matchup against Penns Valley on Thursday, Aug. 28/ 2025. The Red Raiders won 1-0.

“That’s one thing I stressed in preseason, when we don’t have the ball everybody plays defense, ” said Martz. “You guys have to sprint back, double team and then we move it forward. Tonight they looked incredible with that. They double teamed people, they drove the ball forward.”

In the first half, both team’s defenses looked strong as neither one was able to find a crack in the other team’s armor.

Both teams found mini runs but could not put it past either back-line.

As the time ticked away in the first half, neither team was able to find that space they needed to put the ball through.

When the buzzer sounded the team’s finished the half, the way they started the game, tied at zero.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bellefonte's Elijah Davis, left, and Gavin Merrill, right, wait for action to resume during the boys soccer team's road matchup against Penns Valley on Thursday, Aug. 28/ 2025. The Red Raiders won 1-0.

Coming out of the half, it was a battle for the momentum as the time started to tick down, forcing the players to ramp up the intensity.

Bellefonte found the break they need as the ball got in the possession of Stabinger.

With just over 22 minutes left, Stabinger, in transition, was able to dish off the pass to Cooke. Cooke, played the ball and found the opening and sent it home, making it a 1-0.

“At halftime, we talked about pushing out to the wings. The wings cutting in and that’s how we got the goal,” said Bellefonte coach Scott Martz on the game-winning goal. The guy on the outside busted in and he was there on the right spot and Wesley did a good job being there to knock it in and we just held on from there.”

That would be the only goal the Red Raiders needed as it was able to control the pace of the offense and the ability to clear out traffic from both sides.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Multiple Bellefonte players fight for possession during the boys soccer team's road matchup against Penns Valley on Thursday, Aug. 28/ 2025. The Red Raiders won 1-0.

Bellefonte 1 , Penns Valley 0

BE 0 1 – 1

PV 0 0 – 0

Second-half scoring: BEL – Wesley Cooke (Connell Stabinger), 26:52

Shots on goal: BEL 20, PV, 15. Corners: BEL, 4. PV, 7. Saves: BEL (Elijah Davis) 5; PV (Owen Robb) 8.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express A Bellefonte boys soccer player makes contact with the ball during team's road matchup against Penns Valley on Thursday, Aug. 28/ 2025. The Red Raiders won 1-0.