ANN ARBOR, Mich. – With wind gusts over 15 mph throughout the game, the sixth-seeded Penn State men's soccer team battled with No. 3 Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals, but ultimately fell, 3-1, Sunday afternoon at U-M Soccer Stadium.
"We were hoping for a better outcome today so I'm very disappointed for the players that despite their best efforts we were not able to advance in the Big Ten Tournament," said head coach Jeff Cook. "As we have done throughout the season, our players gave a tremendous effort and it took an excellent performance from a very talented Michigan team to end our tournament run. I'm so appreciative of the dedication of all of our players and look forward to a bright future for Penn State men's soccer."
Michigan (11-4-2) controlled possession for the first part of the game, firing off four shots before the fifth snuck past goalkeeper Josh Levine for the early lead.
Penn State (6-9-2) worked their way back into the game, gaining possession and back-to-back corner kicks in the 41st minute.
On the second corner kick attempt, sophomore Callum Pritchatt found redshirt senior Ryan Gallagher at the left post. Gallagher headed it into the top-left corner past a Michigan defender to tie the game at one each nearing the break.
The goal marked Gallagher's first of the season while Pritchatt has a team-high four assists.
At the half, Michigan led in shots, 7-4, while Penn State held the advantage in corner kicks, 3-2.
To start the second half, Michigan earned three quick corner kicks, capitalizing on the third one for the 2-1 lead in the 53rd minute.
Michigan added an insurance goal in the 81st minute.
Levine finished with four saves on the match.
The Nittany Lions, under first-year head coach Jeff Cook, concluded the 2018 season with a 6-9-2 overall record and a 3-3-2 record in conference play.
