ANN ARBOR, Mich. – On a windy night in Ann Arbor, the Penn State men's soccer team (2-4-1, 1-0-1 Big Ten) held its own against No. 21 Michigan (5-1-1, 1-0-1 Big Ten), recording a 1-1 draw after double overtime on Friday evening at U-M Soccer Stadium.
"It was a really outstanding college soccer game played at a very high level by both teams," said head coach Jeff Cook. "I'm very proud of the performance and effort that our players gave tonight, and I feel that we are improving with each game. The atmosphere was excellent tonight and the determination that our players demonstrated is what Penn State soccer is all about."
Junior striker Christian Sload put the Nittany Lions on the board first with his first goal of the season in the third minute. Jeremy Rafanello just outside the top right corner of the box found Sload inside who juked a Michigan defender and slid the ball into the lower left corner of the net for the score.
Hey, @csload13, nice shot 😎 pic.twitter.com/VShhLujTd9
— Penn State Men's Soccer (@PennStateMSOC) September 22, 2018
Michigan's Jack Hallahan put two good shots on net in the first half, but goalkeeper Josh Levine was there both times for the save.
While Penn State held possession for most of the first half, Michigan led in shots (5-2) and corner kicks (3-0).
The Wolverines turned things on in the second half and was able to find the equalizer in the 70th minute to force the game into overtime for the second consecutive season.
Junior captain Aaron Molloy took two promising shots in the overtime periods in hopes of finding the golden goal for the Nittany Lions, but was unable to convert.
The Wolverines outshot the Nittany Lions, 15-11, and had the advantage in corner kicks, 7-3 but a strong Penn State backline was able to keep Michigan out of the net.
Levine finished with four saves in the match.
Up next, the Nittany Lions return to Jeffrey Field to host No. 5 Michigan State on Wednesday, Sept. 26 at 6 p.m. The game will be streamed live on BTN+. Admission is free for all fans.