UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's soccer team returns to Happy Valley for a weekday tilt with the visiting Stony Brook Seawolves on Tuesday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. at Jeffrey Field.
FOLLOW ALONG
The match with Stony Brook will be streamed for free on LionVision. Fans can also follow along by following the team on Twitter, @PennStateMSOC.
PENN STATE AGAINST STONY BROOK
Tuesday's match marks the first meeting of the two teams.
SCOUTING STONY BROOK
The Stony Brook Seawolves come to Happy Valley with a 6-3-2 overall record and a perfect 3-0-0 record in America East conference play. The Seawolves hold key wins over then-No. 16 UMass-Lowell on Sept. 28 (4-0) and a scoreless draw with No. 21 Fordham on Oct. 2.
Senior Serge Gamwanya leads the team in total points (11) and goals (5). Fellow senior Martieon Watson is the team leader in assists with four. Freshman goalkeeper Christian Miesch has played all but one game in net for the Seawolves, posting a 0.786 save percentage and three clean sheets.
LAST TIME OUT
The Penn State men's soccer team and Northwestern played for 110 total minutes Saturday evening at Martin Stadium, but neither team was able to find the back of the net, ending the game in a 0-0 draw.
The entire 90 minutes of regulation was evenly matched, with back-and-forth attempts on the pitch as both teams fought to hold possession. Northwestern outshot Penn State 14-9 after regulation, but the Nittany Lions came out in full force in overtime, firing off two great looks in the first minute.
Sophomore Ethan Beckford and freshman Jeremy Rafanello both were able to get in front of Wildcat defenders for a look at the net, but Northwestern goalkeeper Miha Miskovic stopped both balls. Beckford had another prime opportunity for the golden goal in the box in the second overtime before he got tripped up and Miskovic could make the save.
Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Josh Levine made seven saves in regulation and didn't face any shots on goal in the overtime periods to maintain a clean sheet for the second time this season.
NESS MAKES FIRST CAREER START
Sophomore midfielder Keegan Ness made his first career start at Northwestern on Saturday, playing 79 total minutes in the middle for the Nittany Lions. The Oregon State transfer made his debut donning the Blue and White on Sept. 3 against his former team.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
The Penn State men's soccer team has three 2018 opponents ranked in the sixth week (Oct. 2) of the United Soccer Coaches' national poll, with four more receiving votes. Indiana (Sept. 30; L, 0-2) remains in the top-5 at No. 2. Michigan State (Sept. 26; L, 0-1) and Michigan (Sept. 21; T, 1-1 2OT) check in at No. 13 and 14, respectively. UCF (Aug. 24; L, 1-2 2OT), Wisconsin (Oct. 14), Oregon State (Sept. 3; L, 0-1), and Rhode Island (Aug. 31; L, 0-1) all received votes in this week's poll.
PENN STATE FEATURED ON BIG TEN NETWORK
The Penn State men's soccer team will be featured on the Big Ten Network when it travels to Maryland on Tuesday, Oct. 23 for its 6 p.m. contest. Last season, the Nittany Lions fell to the then-No. 3 Terrapins, 0-2.
BIG TEN TOURNAMENT RETURNS TO GRAND PARK
The Big Ten men's and women's soccer tournament semifinal and championship games will return to Grand Park in Westfield, Ind. for the 2018 season, as announced by the conference on Sept. 27.
The men's tournament will start with quarterfinal games being played on campus Nov. 3-4. Play will commence at Grand Park on Friday, Nov. 9 with two semifinals and will conclude on Sunday, Nov. 11 with the championship game.
Kickoff times and television coverage for all Big Ten men's and women's soccer tournament games will be announced at a later date.
NEXT TIME OUT
Penn State men's soccer continues their three-game homestand at Jeffrey Field on Sunday, Oct. 14 at noon when Big Ten foe Wisconsin comes to town. The Blue and White will host one final nonconference game of the season on Wednesday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. against Detroit Mercy.
