Penn State Travels to Stony Brook for Labor Day MatchupPenn State Travels to Stony Brook for Labor Day Matchup
Craig Houtz

Penn State Travels to Stony Brook for Labor Day Matchup

Opens in a new window Penn State Game Notes

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's soccer team starts a three-game road stretch, starting at Stony Brook on Monday, Sept. 2 at 7 p.m.
 
GAME INFORMATION

PENN STATE AGAINST STONY BROOK

  • Penn State will face Stony Brook for the second-straight season and the second time in program history.
  • Last season, the Nittany Lions shut out the Seawolves, 3-0, at Jeffrey Field.
  • Daniel Gonzalez put up a five-point performance in the game, scoring twice and adding an assist.

SCOUTING STONY BROOK

  • The Stony Brook Seawolves are 0-1-0 to start 2019 after falling to St. Francis Brooklyn, 1-0, in the season opener.
  • The Seawolves won the 2018 America East regular season title.
  • Head coach Ryan Anatol is in his ninth season with the Seawolves.

LAST TIME OUT

  • Penn State struggled in its season opener, falling to No. 5 Stanford, 5-0, at Jeffrey Field.
  • Redshirt junior goalkeeper Josh Levine had six saves in the match while senior Christian Sload had a team-high six shots.
  • Ten new Nittany Lions made their Penn State debuts.

BLUE AND WHITE DEBUT

  • Ten Nittany Lions made their debut for the Blue and White against Stanford on Aug. 30.
  • Jalen Watson, Andrew Privett, Liam Butts, Seth Kuhn, Alex Stevenson and Will Campbell all started the game for Penn State while Michael Gaines, Adam Laundree, Kyle May and Dax Hoffman all came off the bench.
  • Redshirt freshman Josh Dabora also made his Penn State debut off the bench.

FAMILIAR NAMES, FAMILIAR FACES

  • Penn State returns 12 players from the 2018 roster, including Big Ten preseason honorees Brandon Hackenberg, Aaron Molloy and Pierre Reedy.
  • Redshirt junior goalkeeper Josh Levine returns in between the pipes for the Nittany Lions after posting a career-high four shutouts in 2018 and earning Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors once.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK

  • Penn State adds 13 newcomers to the 2019 roster, which includes nine freshmen, two transfers and two walk-ons.
  • Seth Kuhn (Duke) and Will Campbell (UNC) re-join Coach Cook in Happy Valley from their respective universities after playing for him at the Philadelphia Union Academy.

BIG TEN PRESEASON HONORS

  • Senior Aaron Molloy and redshirt juniors Brandon Hackenberg and Pierre Reedy each earned a spot on the 2019 Big Ten preseason honors list as announced by the conference office.
  • Molloy earned preseason honors for the third consecutive season. In 2018, Molloy was named to the All-Big Ten second team and the United Soccer Coaches All-North Region third team. The midfieldr had two goals and two assists in 15 matches last season.
  • Hackenberg earned preseason honors for the first time in his career. The defender appeared in all 17 matches for the Nittany Lions in 2018 as a key member of the backline that record six clean sheets, including three against Big Ten opponents. Hackenberg is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and a 2018-19 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar.
  • Reedy earned preseason honors for the second time in his career. The midfielder returns to the pitch in 2019 after missing the previous two seasons due to injury. As a true freshman in 2016, Reedy was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team. Reedy is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and a 2018-19 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar.

OH CAPTAIN, OUR CAPTAINS

  • Senior Aaron Molloy and redshirt junior Pierre Reedy were selected by their teammates as team captains of the 2019 Penn State men's soccer squad.
  • The 2019 captaincy will be the second-straight year of leadership for Molloy while it is the first such honor for Reedy.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

  • Seven of Penn State's 16 regular-season opponents are ranked in the top-25 of the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll, including week-one opponent Stanford (No. 5).
  • Other ranked teams include Big Ten foes Maryland (No. 1), Indiana (No. 20, Michigan State (No. 7) and Michigan (No. 24). Wisconsin is also receiving votes in the poll.
  • Nonconference opponents UCF (No. 15) and James Madison (No. 17) round out the Nittany Lions' ranked opponents.

CAMERA READY

  • Penn State will be featured on the Big Ten Network three times in 2019.
  • The national network will travel to Jeffrey Field to showcase matchups between the Nittany Lions and Michigan on Sept. 27 at 6 p.m. as well as a BTN-rematch on Oct. 29 at 6 p.m. with reigning national champion Maryland.
  • Penn State's away game at Michigan State on Oct. 1 at 6 p.m. will also be televised.

NEXT TIME OUT
Penn State continues its road-game stretch, traveling south to the Sunshine State to face No. 15 UCF on Friday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. and Stetson on Sunday, Sept. 8 at 1 p.m.