| PENN STATE vs. DETROIT MERCY | | | | 1-3-2 (0-2-0 B1G) | 4-1-1 (1-1-0 Horizon) |
| Wednesday, September 20 | 7 p.m. | Jeffrey Field
University Park, Pa. | Promotions |
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Sept. 19, 2017
NITTANY LIONS READY FOR NON-CONFERENCE CLASH WITH TITANS
The Penn State men's soccer team will welcome Detroit Mercy for the first meeting between the two squads in program history. The two teams will take the pitch Wednesday, Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. on Jeffrey Field.
CATCHING THE GAME FROM HOME
Fans who are unable to make it out to Jeffrey Field on Wednesday night can catch all the action live on BTN Plus with a paid subscription or follow along with live stats on GoPSUsports.com.
NON-CONFERENCE CONTESTS IN 2017
Wednesday's non-conference match with the Titans will mark the fourth of the season for the Blue and White. This season, Penn State has taken on defending Colonial Athletic Association champions, Hofstra, UC Irvine, Loyola Marymount and Saint Francis. The Nittany Lions did a one week stint on the west coast playing two double overtime matches before securing its first win of the season over Saint Francis on Jeffrey Field in double overtime. Last season, Penn State went 4-4-2 in non-conference matches with wins over James Madison, Oakland, Pittsburgh and Wright State. The Nittany Lions also tied two time National Champion Stanford and postseason contender Akron. Following the match against the Titans, the Blue and White will play three final non-conference contests against Temple, Pitt, and James Madison.
SCOUTING DETROIT MERCY
The Titans come into the mid-week match with a 4-1-1 overall record having won their first two games over Stetson and LIU Brooklyn. Detroit Mercy will travel for the fourth time this season, holding a 1-1-1 record away from Detroit, Michigan.
The Titans have seen a majority of their offensive production come from Spiro Pliakos and Tyler Moorman as the two have combined for nine of the team's 11 goals this season. Pliakos has scored five goals and has one assist, while Moorman has netted four goals and has one assist. Also finding the back of the net are Adam Clauss and Dalton Amex, who have scored one goal apiece.
On the defensive side of the pitch, Detroit Mercy has given up eight goals in 564:58 minutes of play. Goalkeeper Robbie Beckwell has made 29 saves this season for a .784 save percentage and has posted two shutouts.
HARD PLAY AGAINST No. 3 MARYLAND
After playing three-straight double overtime games and a road match against Ohio State, the Nittany Lions hung tough against the No. 3 Terrapins in their first Big Ten Conference home game of the season. Penn State kept the powerful Maryland offense off the board for the entire first half of play before giving up a goal in the second half. The Blue and White suffered its third red card of the season, playing a man down for the remaining 18 minutes of the match.
Despite being a man down, the Nittany Lions continued to battle offensively as the ball almost found the back of the net in the 84th minute when Penn State earned a corner kick that would find the head of Christian Sload. The header sailed high into the right corner of the net but a Terrapin defender was able to quickly get his body in front of the ball, keeping Penn State off the board.
Being a man down resulted in one final security goal for the Terrapins in the remaining minutes of the match as Penn State fell 2-0 at Jeffrey Field.
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 44 years, going 329-87-36 all-time for a winning percentage of .771. Last season, PSU went 8-2-1 at Jeffrey Field and over the past five seasons the Nittany Lions are 37-11-5 en route to a pair of Big Ten titles in 2012 and 2013. In the 44-year history of the stadium, Jeffrey Field has welcomed over 540,000 fans through its gates.
SLOAD'S WORK PAYS OFF
Sophomore Christian Sload has been working hard on the offensive side of the ball in the first six matches of the season, leading the team with 13 shots, seven 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.
BIG TEN TOURNAMENT TO BE HELD AT GRAND PARK
The Big Ten Men's Soccer Tournament will take place at Grand Park in Westfield, Indiana, as announced by the Big Ten. The men's semifinals and championship game are set for Nov. 10 and 12. Last year, the Big Ten Men's Soccer Tournament semifinals and championship game were played at the facility for the first time, with Maryland earning a 2-1 victory over Wisconsin in the final.
NEXT TIME OUT
The Nittany Lions travel to Madison, Wisconsin Saturday, September 23 for a Big Ten Conference match with the Badgers. Penn State and Wisconsin take the pitch at 8 p.m. ET with the match featured on BTN Plus.
