Devin Murray began his collegiate soccer career at Division II Mercyhurst after many standout moments at Deer Lakes, including helping the Lancers to a WPIAL Class 2A title as a senior in 2020.

After a time at the Erie school, Murray decided a change academically was needed, and he made his way to Butler County Community College.

A work injury slowed his progress in the sport, and he spent the better part of two years recovering and trying to get fit again.

“I thought my playing career was done,” Murray said. “I didn’t expect to go back. I just expected to finish up at Butler Community College.”

Murray coaches club soccer at Steel City FC in the Pittsburgh area, the same club as Penn State New Kensington men’s coach Mark Duffield.

“I got to talking with him, and he was telling me that I had to come to play at Penn State New Ken,” Murray said. “But again, I never thought I would be playing again. Eventually, he and others convinced me. I talked to God and decided to give it another try. I am not 100% fit as I used to be, but I am trying to be my best every day for this team.”

Said Duffield: “Take away the fact that Devin is a great player. He is an even better person. He’s gained the respect of not only his peers, but also the coaching staff. When you play with someone like Devin, it takes you to that next level.”

Murray has been the best at scoring goals for a Penn State New Kensington team that is on a roll heading into the Penn State University Athletic Conference playoffs.

It is a team rife with local talent, and Murray adds to that with a team-best 15 goals to go along with six assists.

“Everybody is ready to go for the playoffs,” Murray said. “From the first preseason hour we walked in, we were all bought into the system and the team we had. We got to work and held each other accountable. We knew we had the pieces together to get to a conference championship game and win it.

“That has been in the back of our mind every training session, every recovery session and every game. We’re excited to be in the position we’re in.”

Penn State New Kensington is carrying momentum into the six-team PSUAC tournament with six wins in a row.

The Lions have earned one of the two byes into the semifinals and will host one of the quarterfinals winners Saturday at a time and location close to campus to be determined.

The semifinal winners will play for the championship next Tuesday at Jeffrey Field on the Penn State main campus.

Penn State New Kensington put an exclamation point on the regular season with a 4-0 victory Saturday afternoon at home against Penn State Scranton.

The Lions scored two goals in each half as they improved to 10-4-1 overall and finished 6-0-1 in conference play.

Murray scored two goals on five shots on goal. Highlands graduate Shane Stefanik added a goal, as did Burrell grad Seth Trisoline as PSNK fired off 20 shots on goal and limited Scranton to one shot.

The only conference blemish for the Lions was a 2-2 tie against Penn State Brandywine on Sept. 30. Brandywine is the other team with a first-round bye to Saturday’s semifinals.

“We have built a family atmosphere among the team members,” Murray said. “That definitely helps, along with everybody’s skill level. Coach Duffield has created that winning culture that a lot of guys want to be a part of. That translates to wanting to be a winning team and why we are having the success we are having.”

PSNK has tallied 22 goals during its six-game win streak.

“Our team chemistry is a big factor,” Murray said. “We’ve bonded real well, so that translates to playing well together on the field. There are a number of dangerous scorers up top. I have been fortunate enough to score some goals for us, but we also have guys like Jake Guerrini and Ethan Hutcherson and others. They do a great job of giving us a big attacking threat.

“With our balance all over the field, we’re able to move the ball and attack teams rather quickly.”

Hutcherson, a second-year forward from Fairfax, Va., is second on the team in goals (nine) and leads the way with eight assists. Guerrini, a Burrell grad, owns seven goals and four assists.

Other team members from the Alle-Kiski Valley are third-year defender Ryan Wurzer (Burrell), first-year forward Ethan Krystek and Highlands fourth-year midfielder Bryce Eddy.

“We knew coming into this season that we had things in place to make a nice run,” Duffield said. “We had a good group of freshmen guys in 2022, and this year, they came in with that experience of playing in big games. They played in the postseason. Then you add the more experienced guys like Jake Guerrini and Ryan Wurzer, our captains, and Shane Stefanik.

“We had some good freshmen coming in, and also being able to add someone as talented as Devin. It’s a great mix of so many guys who have come in and made an impact.”

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