BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Penn State men's soccer team (2-6-1, 1-2-1 Big Ten) played its third ranked opponent in as many games Sunday afternoon, falling to No. 2 Indiana (9-1-0, 3-0-0 Big Ten), 2-0, at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
"I was very pleased with our team's approach to the first half," said head coach Jeff Cook. "The pattern of the game went exactly as we hoped until late in the half when we were bitterly disappointed to concede a goal with only seconds to go until halftime. Our players gave a fantastic effort in the second half, playing from behind against an opponent of as much quality as Indiana which is always going to be very difficult and that proved to be the case. We look forward to next weekend's game at Northwestern."
It was a back-and-forth game in the first half, with both teams taking five or less shots. Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Josh Levine made three saves in the first half before Indiana's Austin Panchot was able to sneak a header past his fingertips in the 45th minute to give the Hoosiers the 1-0 lead heading into halftime.
Sophomore Ethan Beckford and freshman Jeremy Rafanello both had good looks at the net in the first half but were unable to convert.
The Hoosiers led the Nittany Lions 5-2 in shots and 4-0 in corner kicks in the first half.
The Hoosier offense took control in the second half and went up by two in the 68th minute when Rece Buckmaster scored to give Indiana the 2-0 lead.
Levine finished with four saves on the match.
The Nittany Lions remain on the road in Big Ten play next week, traveling to Evanston, Ill. to face Northwestern on Saturday, Oct. 6. The match is slated for an 8 p.m. ET start and will be streamed live via BTN+.
