| PENN STATE vs. RUTGERS | | | | 6-6-2 (3-3-0 B1G) | 0-11-2 (0-5-2 B1G) |
| Friday, Oct. 21 | 7 p.m. | | Jeffrey Field | University Park, Pa. | Promotions |
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Oct. 20, 2016
PENN STATE CONCLUDES B1G HOME SCHEDULE WITH RUTGERS
The Penn State men's soccer team concludes its Big Ten Conference home schedule Friday, Oct. 21 when the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers travel to Jeffrey Field for a 7 p.m. contest. Fans are encouraged to wear white to whiteout Jeffrey Field against the Scarlet Knights.
HOW TO WATCH
For fans who cannot make it out to Jeffrey Field on Friday night, the match will be streamed live free of cost on GoPSUNow.com starting at 7 p.m. Live stats are also available on GoPSUsports.com.
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 326-85-36 all-time for a winning percentage of .771. This season, PSU is 6-2-1 at the Jeff and over the past four seasons the Nittany Lions are 33-10-5 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.
SERIES HISTORY WITH RUTGERS
Penn State holds the narrow 10-8-0 lead over Rutgers in the all-time series and are 2-0 since the Scarlet Knights joined the Big Ten Conference in the 2014 campaign. The Blue and White defeated RU 2-0 last season with senior Riley Grant tallying one goal on the night. Senior Connor Maloney put two shots on goal and tallied an assist for Penn State in the 2015 meeting between the two squads.
SCOUTING THE SCARLET KNIGHTS
Rutgers brings an 0-11-2 overall record and a 0-5-2 Big Ten Conference record into the match, however, the Scarlet Knights have played some of the top teams in the nation to tough matches. RU forced No. 1 Maryland into double overtime before eventually falling 2-1 and tied No. 6 Indiana 0-0 in a double overtime match.
Jason Wright leads the Rutgers offense with four goals and one assist on the season for nine points and both Niel Guzman and Dante Perez have tallied two goals on the season. Guzman along with Ryan Peterson have set up the Scarlet Knight offense as both have two assists on the 2016 campaign.
Senior David Greczek has played every minute in net for Rutgers, giving up 35 goals and making 78 saves. Opponents are averaging 17.2 shots against the Scarlet Knight backline and have put 118 of its 224 shots on goal.
MALONEY NETS TWO AGAINST NO. 22 AKRON
Senior Connor Maloney became the third Penn State men's soccer player to tally a multi-goal match when he found the back of the net on two occasions against No. 22 Akron. Maloney knotted the score at 1-1 in the 66th-minute before giving Penn State the go-ahead goal in the 74th-minute. However, Akron came back to tie the score late in the match as Penn State would play to a 2-2 double overtime draw with the Zips.
Maloney joins the company of senior Mason Klerks, who scored two goals against Ohio State, and sophomore Dayonn Harris, who netted two against then-No. 4 Maryland.
PENN STATE TALLIES FIFTH MULTI-SCORING MATCH
In a game that typically ends with a 1-0 result, Penn State men's soccer has had five multi-goal matches in the 2016 campaign after Tuesday night's 2-2 tie with No. 22 Akron. The Nittany Lions had three-straight multi-goal games with a 4-2 win over Ohio State, a 3-2 overtime loss to then-No. 4 Maryland and a 2-1 double overtime win over Wisconsin. Following the three big scoring matches, the Blue and White suffered a scoring drought before finding two-straight one-goal wins and a 2-2 tie with Akron.
FINNEY RANKED AMONGST NATIONS BEST
Redshirt-junior Evan Finney finds himself amongst the elite in the nation as he ranks fifth with a .842 save percentage and a 0.65 goals against average. Furthermore, Finney leads the Big Ten Conference in both categories, ranks third in shutouts per game (0.38), fourth in saves per game (3.30) and ties for sixth with three shutouts on the season. This past week Finney shutout both Pittsburgh and No. 19 Michigan State, facing just three shots on the week as the Nittany Lion defense kept opponent offenses away from the net. Despite letting in two goals against No. 22 Akron, Finney still paces the Big Ten Conference in save percentage and goals against average.
NEXT TIME OUT
Penn State concludes its 2016 regular season home slate Tuesday, Oct. 25 when it takes on Wright State in a non-conference match. The match will honor the Nittany Lion's six seniors and start at 7 p.m. at Jeffrey Field.
