VILLANOVA, Pa. – After waiting out Friday night's storm, the Penn State men's soccer team came on to Villanova's home turf ready to play. Coming from behind, the Nittany Lions battle the 15th-ranked Wildcats for 90 full minutes on Saturday afternoon at the Higgins Soccer Complex, but fell just short, 2-1.
"In terms of our attacking play, that was by far the most consistently threatening we've been this season," said head coach Jeff Cook. "I thought our response to giving away an early goal was outstanding. The only frustration is that we did not convert more of our chances. I would give a lot of credit to Villanova for their competitive desire, but to concede a goal from a set piece is disappointing and has been an Achilles heel for us early this season; it is an area we need to improve on quickly. Once again our players left everything on the field and gave an outstanding effort and, in my opinion, deserved a better outcome in the game than what we got."
The Wildcats (4-1-0) struck first with a quick goal in the third minute of the match.
The Nittany Lions (1-4-0) didn't let the early goal scare them, though. In the 12th minute, Brennan Ireland crossed a great ball inside the box to Noah Pilato whose shot was saved by Villanova's Carson Williams. Just three minutes later, Jeremy Rafanello once again found Pilato for a great look but Williams was there again.
Rafanello had a good look in the 24th minute but Williams recorded his third save of the half. But the striker's second shot-on-goal would prove to be the golden one, as Christian Sload passed it inside the box to Rafanello who found the bottom left corner of the net for the equalizer.
Rafanello's goal marks his second of his rookie season, while Sload recorded his first assist of the season and the third of his career.
At halftime, the Nittany Lions were leading the Wildcats in shots (10-5) and corner kicks (5-1).
Early in the second half, Rafanello took two more shots looking for the go-ahead goal but was unable to find the back of the net.
The Wildcats took the lead in the 73rd minute with a rebounded goal to the right side of the net.
The Blue and White finished with 12 corner kicks in the match, the most in a single game since Oct. 24, 2015 when they took 13 against Wisconsin in double overtime. The 17 shots were the most in a game since the 2-1 victory over Northwestern last season (Oct. 29, 2017).
Up next the Nittany Lions return to Happy Valley for a two-game homestand. The Blue and White will host High Point at Jeffrey Field on Tuesday, Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. before hosting Big Ten foe Ohio State in the first conference game of the season on Sunday, Sept. 16 at 1 p.m. The Sunday matinee game with the Buckeyes will be the Sixth Annual Mack Brady Match.
Both matches will be streamed live on BTN+. All regular season games at Jeffrey Field are free for fans.