UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's soccer team (6-8-2, 3-3-2 Big Ten) picked up a key conference victory in the regular season finale, shutting out Rutgers (4-12-1, 2-6-0 Big Ten), 2-0, on Senior Night Sunday at Jeffrey Field.
"I think it is appropriate to first congratulate our senior class," said head coach Jeff Cook. "We have had some tough moments to handle during the year with some really bad injuries and some tough losses at times, but they have shown a tremendous amount of resilience and they have kept the whole team together. I think that has been a big factor as to why we have been able to produce some really good performances late in the season and today was no different. I am thrilled that we were able to win the final game at Jeffrey Field. We are excited now to start and think about the Big Ten Tournament."
A back-and-forth game highlighted the first 15 minutes of the match before sophomore Callum Pritchatt's left-footed shot at the 15:06 mark bent just enough to squeeze between the goalkeeper and the left post for the score.
The lefty shot from right outside the box marks the first goal of the season for Pritchatt and the second of his career.
The Scarlet Knights offense pushed the Nittany Lion defense for the remainder of the first half, taking five shots in those 30 minutes, including three on net, but redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Josh Levine was there for the saves.
Penn State would go into the break leading Rutgers, 1-0. Rutgers held the advantage in shots, 5-4.
After a couple shots by both teams to open the second half, sophomore Ethan Beckford and senior Austin Maloney connected in the 64th minute to give the Nittany Lions the two-goal advantage.
Beckford took the ball up the middle before passing it to Maloney right inside the box who then kicked it back out to Beckford for the strike and score. Beckford recorded his second goal of the season while Maloney added his first assist of the season.
WHAT?!
— Penn State On BTN (@PennStateOnBTN) October 28, 2018
A back heel touch to set up the strike? That's exactly what Austin Maloney did to set up Ethan Beckford for a sweet @PennStateMSOC goal!#WeAre pic.twitter.com/oKmRF3hfpU
The defense held up strong against Jordan Hall and the Rutgers offense, recording their sixth shutout of the season.
With the victory, the Nittany Lions secured the sixth-seed in the Big Ten Tournament. They will face No. 3 Michigan in Ann Arbor on Sunday, Nov. 4 at 1 p.m. The game will be streamed live on BTN+ for viewers with a login.