| PENN STATE at OHIO STATE | | | | 1-1-2 (0-0-0 B1G) | 4-1-0 (1-0-0 B1G) |
| Tuesday, September 12 | 6 p.m. | Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium
Columbus, Ohio | |
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Sept. 11, 2017
PENN STATE OPENS B1G PLAY AT OHIO STATE
The Nittany Lions open their 27th season as a member of the Big Ten Conference Tuesday, Sept. 12 when they travel to Ohio State for a 6 p.m. match at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
CATCHING THE GAME AT HOME
Fans who cannot make the trip to Columbus, Ohio can watch the game live on the Big Ten Network or follow along with live stats at OhioStateBuckeyes.com.
PENN STATE IN B1G OPENERS
Penn State is 14-9-3 in Big Ten openers since joining the conference in the 1991 season. The 2017 season marks the 13th time that the Nittany Lions have opened B1G play on the road as they hold a 7-5-1 overall record. Furthermore, Penn State is 1-0-0 when opening Big Ten Conference play with Ohio State after picking up a win in the 2016 campaign and is 2-1-1 when it plays the Buckeyes in its first Big Ten road match of the season.
SCOUTING THE BUCKEYES
Ohio State has had a fast start to the 2017 season, going 4-1-0 in its first five matches. In each of its four wins, the Buckeyes have shut out their opponent, however, they were shut out in their 3-0 loss to Florida International. OSU has had two matches with two goals, while scoring one goal in its other two victories.
Freshman Joshua Jackson-Ketchup has scored a team-high three goals in his first season as a Buckeye, while Hunter Robertson, Michael Prosuk and Niall Logue have all scored one goal apiece. The offensive strike is currently running through Abdi Mohamed, who has assisted three of Ohio State's six goals.
Redshirt-sophomore Parker Siegfried is back in net for the second-straight season, playing 450 minutes and giving up three goals. Siegfried comes in Tuesday's match with a 0.60 goals against average and a .824 save percentage with 14 saves in five matches.
SLOAD'S WORK PAYS OFF
Sophomore Christian Sload has been working hard on the offensive side of the ball in the first four matches of the season, leading the team with 10 shots, six of which have tested the opposing keeper. The Reading, Pennsylvania's work finally paid off as he scored the game-winning goal against Saint Francis Friday, September 8.
Sload found the golden goal against SFU in the 110th minute of the match. With 36 seconds left on the clock the Nittany Lions raced down the field as Aaron Molloy took the ball from the Red Flash and passed it up to a striking Mikey Conneh on the right side of the pitch. Conneh crossed the ball to Sload, who was coming from the left side of the field. Sload ripped the ball at a wide-open left side of the net to secure the 1-0 victory for the Blue and White in the 110th minute of play at Jeffrey Field.
DEFENSE SECURES FIRST SHUTOUT OF 2017
Penn State earned its first shutout of the 2017 season with a 1-0 double overtime victory over Saint Francis. The backline allowed the Red Flash to take eight shots with only one reaching the net for goalkeeper Evan Finney. The shutout marked the seventh of Finney's career after he secured four in the 2016 campaign.
MOLLOY MAKING WAVES
Sophomore transfer Aaron Molloy has come in strong for the Nittany Lions in his first three matches. Molloy has started all three games, playing all but four minutes for the Blue and White. The Dublin, Ireland native came into the season as the PDL Young Player of the Year after scoring seven goals for Reading United. Donning the Blue and White, Molloy has scored two goals in three games, including a shot from beyond the midfield line against Loyola Marymount.
Molloy currently ties for second in the Big Ten with his two goals on the season and 0.67 goals per game.
EXPANDING INTERNATIONALLY
The Penn State men's soccer team features nine student-athletes who have traveled internationally to be a part of the squad. The team features student-athletes from Canada, the United Kingdom, Israel and Costa Rica. Returners Aymar Sigue and Mitchel Bringolf are both native of Canada with Sigue growing up in Alberta and Bringolf growing up in Quebec, while captain Dani Marks came to Penn State from Israel. The freshman class is comprised from three international student-athletes including: Ethan Beckford (Manchester, England), Mikey Conneh (Sheffield, Yorkshire) and Callum Pritchatt (Kinghurst, Birmingham). Finally, junior transfer Ryan Holland is from Leicestershire, United Kingdom, redshirt-freshman Daniel Gonzalez came to Penn State from Costa Rica and sophomore transfer Aaron Molloy is from Dublin, Ireland.
FIFTH ANNUAL MACK BRADY MATCH
The Nittany Lions will host the Fifth Annual Mack Brady Match when the Terrapins of Maryland come to Happy Valley Sunday, Sept. 17. Brady passed away on Dec. 31, 2012 due to an unexpected blood infection at the age of eight. To honor his life and love for soccer (specifically goalkeeping), Mack's parents Christian and Elizabeth Brady created the "Mack Brady Memorial Soccer Fund." The fund is an endowment for Penn State goalkeepers to help in recruiting, equipment and other needs.
The Blue and White have always found a way in the Mack Brady Match, coming in undefeated this season. The first year, Penn State tied with Cal 1-1 in double overtime before defeating OSU 1-0 in the 2014 campaign. Finally, the Nittany Lions defeated then-No. 10 Indiana in the 2015 Mack Brady Match off a Robby Sagel goal and picked up a 4-2 victory over Ohio State in the 2016 season with two goals from Mason Klerks.
NEXT TIME OUT
The Blue and White return to Jeffrey Field for the Fifth Annual Mack Brady Match Sunday, Sept. 17 against No. 5 Maryland. The Nittany Lions and the Terrapins are set to start at 5 p.m. following the women's match against Illinois at 1 p.m.
