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Oct. 22, 2017
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The Penn State men's soccer offense came alive as it took a 6-2 road victory over Rutgers in a Big Ten Conference contest Sunday, Oct. 22.
Penn State's six goals are the most since it earned a 6-2 victory over Penn on Sept. 24, 2014. Eight Nittany Lions tallied points on the day with freshman Ethan Beckford (Manchester, England) scoring back-to-back goals and Callum Pritchatt (Kinghurst, Birmingham) earning two assists. Beckford is the first men's soccer student-athlete to have a two-goal game since Connor Maloney netted two goals against No. 22 Akron in a double overtime tie Oct. 18, 2016.
The Nittany Lions had 17 points on the day with six goals and four assists which is the most since they had 17 points against Penn in a 6-2 victory on Sept. 24, 2014.
Senior Aymar Sigue (St. Alberta, Alberta) and juniors Mac Curran (York, Pa.) and Ryan Gallagher (Pine Brush, N.Y.) each had a goal for the Nittany Lions in the outing with Sigue scoring the game-winner in the first half. Redshirt-freshman Daniel Gonzalez (San Jose, Costa Rica) added one final goal in the 83rd minute of the match to score his first collegiate goal donning the Blue and White. Beckford, Sam Bollinger (State College, Pa.) and Dani Marks (Ra'anana, Israel) also had one assist a piece for the Blue and White as Penn State had 17 points on the afternoon with six goals and five assists.
The Penn State offense fired off three shots in the first minute of the match and ended on a Gallagher goal to give the Nittany Lions a 1-0 lead one minute into play. Beckford collected the ball off a rebound and made a swift pass to Gallagher that would find the back of the net from six yards out. Less than five minutes later, Rutgers answered with a counter attack of its own when Hawkins brought the ball down the field and netted a shot from 10 yards out to knot the score a 1-1 six minutes into play.
The Blue and White took its second lead of the match when Pritchatt served a ball into a streaking Sigue. Sigue gathered the ball near the post and shot it into the opposite corner of the net to allow Penn State to take a 2-1 lead over the Scarlet Knights.
The Nittany Lions earned a penalty kick in the 59th minute of the match as Beckford picked up his second and third points of the night, netting the shot. Less than 30 seconds later, Beckford got a pass from the midfield and took it down to the scoring end of the pitch before blasting a shot from eight yards out to extend the Blue and White lead to 4-1.
Penn State's offense did not stop there as it added its fifth goal of the match in the 67th minute. Pritchatt started the push when he crossed the ball up to Bollinger, who then passed it up to Curran. Curran quickly stopped the ball with his right foot and ripped it into the back of the net to put the Nittany Lions up 5-1 in the second half over Rutgers.
The Scarlet Knights continued to fight as the minutes closed out, scoring a goal in the 82nd minute but again Penn State answered less than a minute later when Gonzalez scored his first collegiate goal to push the Blue and White to a 6-2 victory over Rutgers.
The Nittany Lions will be back in action for its final non-conference match of the season Wednesday, Oct. 25 when it heads to James Madison for a 7 p.m. contest.