| PENN STATE vs. PITTSBURGH | | | | 4-6-1 (2-3-0 B1G) | 2-8-0 (0-4-1 ACC) |
| Tuesday, Oct. 11 | 7 p.m. | | Jeffrey Field | University Park, Pa. | | Promotions |
|
|
Oct. 10, 2016
PENN STATE READY FOR IN-STATE MATCH AGAINST PITTSBURGH
The Penn State men's soccer team returns to Happy Valley for a five-game home stretch starting Tuesday, Oct. 11 when in-state foe Pittsburgh comes to Jeffrey Field for a 7 p.m. match. The contest between the two squads will mark the first time they have squared off since the 1994 campaign.
HOW TO WATCH
For fans who cannot make it out to Jeffrey Field on Tuesday night, the match will be streamed on BTN Plus ($) starting at 7:30 p.m. Live stats are also available on GoPSUSports.com.
SERIES HISTORY WITH THE PANTHERS
Despite being in the same state, Penn State and Pittsburgh have not played each other since the 1994 season when the Nittany Lions earned a 4-0 victory over the Panthers in early November. The Blue and White carry a 22-6-3 all-time advantage over Pitt and have won eight-straight matches against the Panthers. Furthermore, Penn State has not lost to Pittsburgh since the 1978 season when it fell 2-0 on the road.
COACHING TIES TO PITTSBURGH
Former Penn State men's soccer assistant coach Michael Behonick makes his return to Jeffrey Field Tuesday, Oct. 11 but this time he will be in Pittsburgh gear. The former goalkeeper coach at Penn State is now an assistant coach and goalkeeper coach for the Panthers under first year head coach Jay Vidovich. Behonick served on the Penn State coaching staff for two seasons under head coach Bob Warming.
SCOUTING PITTSBURGH
Much like Penn State, the Panthers come into the mid-week match up looking to snap a three game losing skid. Pittsburgh's last win came at the end of September when it defeated Longwood 2-1 on the road but has since lost to No. 1 Notre Dame, Saint Mary's and most recently Boston College. Pitt has struggled to find the back of the net this season, scoring just nine goals and being shut out in seven of its eight losses.
Freshman Luca Mellor has risen to the top of the field for the Panthers scoring a team-high three goals on the season for six points and taking 23 shots, nine of which have landed on goal. Matt Venanzi has added two goals to his tally this season and Roosevelt Angulo has dished out two assists and scored once for Pitt.
In net, Mikal Outcalt has played all but 5:32 minutes for the Panthers between the pipes, allowing 15 goals and making 56 saves. Outcalt ranks 27th nationally with 4.67 saves per game.
JEFFREY FIELD DOMINANCE
Penn State has enjoyed success at Jeffrey Field with over 300 victories at the famed field. Impressively, the Nittany Lions have never posted a losing season at Jeffrey Field in 43 years, going 324-85-35 all-time for a winning percentage of .771. Last season, PSU went 4-3-1 at the Jeff and over the past four seasons the Nittany Lions are 31-10-4 en route to a pair of Big Ten titles in 2012 and 2013. In the 43-year history of the stadium, Jeffrey Field has welcomed over 540,000 fans through its gates.
GETTING BACK TO SCORING
The Nittany Lions have suffered a three-game scoring drought after scoring multiple goals in three-straight games this season. Prior to being shut out against Temple, at Michigan and at No. 6 Indiana, Penn State had tallied six goals in three matches and picked up two Big Ten wins in that time period.
NITTANY LIONS IN THE BIG TEN
Senior Connor Maloney ties for third with four goals on the season and ranks third with 0.40 goals per game in 2016. The Harrisburg, Pa. native also ranks fourth in the conference with 11 points on the season and tied for sixth with three assists. Redshirt-junior goalkeeper Evan Finney leads the Big Ten with a .852 save percentage and ties for third with a 0.69 goals against average.
MALONEY ON THE EDGE OF ETCHING HIS NAME IN THE RECORDS
Senior Connor Maloney has scored 23 goals in his career thus far donning the Blue and White. If Maloney scores at least six more goals this season, the senior will rank 15th all-time in Penn State career goals with 29. Furthermore, Maloney needs just two more assists to tie for 18th all-time in Penn State laurels.
No. 6 INDIANA BLANKS PENN STATE
After not allowing Indiana to score in regulation for 486 minutes, the Nittany Lions gave up what would be the game-winning goal in the first half of the match, allowing No. 6 Indiana to take a 1-0 victory. The match marked the first time that the Hoosiers have defeated the Blue and White in the regular season since the 2010 campaign.
NEXT TIME OUT
Penn State will play its lone Saturday night match at Jeffrey Field Saturday, Oct. 15 when the Spartans of Michigan State travel to Happy Valley for a 7:30 p.m. Big Ten Conference match.
