Oct. 9, 2017
| PENN STATE at PITTSBURGH | | | | 2-7-2 (0-5-0 B1G) | 6-6-0 (1-4-0 ACC) |
| Tuesday, Oct. 10 | 7 p.m. | | Ambrose Urbanic Field | Pittsburgh, Pa. | |
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Oct. 9, 2017
PENN STATE SET FOR FOUR-MATCH ROAD SWING
The Penn State men's soccer team will travel for its next four matches starting Tuesday, Oct. 10 when it travels to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for a 7 p.m. contest with the Panthers. The match will mark the seventh non-conference game of the season for the Nittany Lions and the third mid-week contest of the 2017 campaign.
CATCHING THE GAME FROM HOME
Fans who are unable to make the trip to Pittsburgh can catch all the action live on ACC Network Extra or follow along with live stats on PittsburghPanthers.com. Fans can also follow along with live updates on Twitter at @PennStateMSOC.
SERIES HISTORY WITH PITTSBURGH
Prior to the 2016 season, the Nittany Lions and the Panthers had not faced off since 1994 when Penn State earned a 4-0 victory in Happy Valley. Furthermore, Penn State hasn't traveled to Pittsburgh since the 1984 season when it earned a 2-0 victory. The Nittany Lions are 6-1-2 overall when playing the Panthers in Pittsburgh. Head coach Bob Warming has taken on Pittsburgh one time in his career at Penn State and earned the 1-0 victory in the 2016 season.
COACHING TIES TO PITTSBURGH
Former Penn State men's soccer assistant coach Michael Behonick will face off with familiar faces this weekend, this time at his new home when the Nittany Lions travel to Ambrose Urbanic Field. The former goalkeeper coach at Penn State is now an assistant coach and goalkeeper coach for the Panthers under second year head coach Jay Vidovich. Behonick served on the Penn State coaching staff for two seasons under head coach Bob Warming.
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
Pittsburgh is 6-6-0 overall on the season and have picked up wins over two top-25 teams including a 2-1 win over then-No. 21 Syracuse and a 1-0 win over then-No. 13 Columbia.
The Panthers are outscoring their opponents 16-13, scoring 1.33 goals per game. Edward Kizza leads the Pittsburgh offensive charge with four goals and nine points, while Alexander Dexter and Colin Brezniak have three goals each. Pol Planelllas has passed to four goal scorers on the year and Javi Perez and Josh Coan each have two assists.
Pittsburgh has played three keepers in 2017 with Mikal Outcalt making all 12 starts. Outcalt has given up 11 goals and made 48 saves on the season, while Will Marshall and Jacob Roothe have each had time between the pipes for the Panthers.
DEFENSE HAS STRONG OUTING AGAINST No. 1 OFFENSE
Despite coming away with a 1-0 loss to No. 1 Indiana, Penn State had a strong showing against the Hoosiers. Redshirt-freshman Josh Levine made a career-high 11 saves in the match and gave up just one goal. Levine has stepped up as the new starter for the Nittany Lions, making 21 saves in 236:07 minutes of play.
PENN STATE HAS BIG CHANCES AGAINST No. 1 INDIANA
Freshman Ethan Beckford was the offensive leader for the Nittany Lions against Indiana with three shots on net the Hoosier goalkeeper Trey Muse was barely able to get a hand on to keep the IU lead in check. Penn State found a stretch of offense in the 72nd minute, when Beckford tore down the left side of the field and took a close range shot, but Muse was able to get his hand on the ball at the last second to maintain the Indiana lead. Beckford struck again in the 78th minute when he got his heel on a ball served in from Austin Maloney but again Muse was there to make the huge stop for the Hoosiers.
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
Penn State will travel to East Lansing, Michigan Saturday, Oct. 14 for a 7 p.m. Big Ten Conference match with the Spartans of Michigan State University.
