UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's soccer team (4-1-1, 1-0-0 Big Ten) continues conference play, welcoming Michigan (3-2-2, 0-0-1 Big Ten) to town on Friday, Sept. 27. The game is set to kickoff from Jeffrey Field at 6 p.m. and will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network with Dean Linke (play-by-play) and Chris Munroe (analyst) on the call.
GAME INFORMATION
- Date: Friday, Sept. 27, 2019 | Time: 6 p.m. ET
- Location: University Park, Pa. | Venue: Jeffrey Field
- Live Stats: GoPSUsports.com | Watch: Big Ten Network
- Promotion: Seventh Annual Mack Brady Match - free t-shirt for the first 500 fans
PENN STATE AGAINST MICHIGAN
- Penn State narrowly leads the overall series with Michigan, 11-10-3, and will face the Wolverines Friday for the 25th time in program history.
- Penn State and Michigan met twice in 2018, once in the regular season and again in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament.
- During the regular season, the Nittany Lions battled the then-No. 21 Wolverines to a 1-1 double overtime draw. In the conference tournament, the Wolverines won, 3-1.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN
- The Michigan Wolverines are 3-2-2 and 0-0-1 in conference play through the first third of the 2019 season.
- Both loses came against ranked teams (then-No. 3 Akron and No. 13 Washington) while picking up a draw against No. 24 Rutgers in the conference opener.
- Nebojsa Popovic leads the Wolverines with 13 points on a team-high five goals and three assists.
- Returning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year Jack Hallahan has a team-high four assists.
- In net, Andrew Verdi has eight saves and a 1.14 goals against average.
LAST TIME OUT
- Penn State picked up a huge overtime victory on the road, knocking off receiving-votes Ohio State in extra time, 2-1.
- After a nearly 50-minute weather delay, neither team scored in the first half with the Buckeyes narrowly outshooting the Nittany Lions, 6-4.
- Freshman Andrew Privett scored the first goal for Penn State in the 56th minute off the pass from senior Christian Sload, his first career goal.
- Classmate Liam Butts registered the game-winner for the Nittany Lions, also his first career goal. Seth Kuhn and Sload were credited with the assists to continue their points streak on the season.
- Redshirt junior goalkeeper Josh Levine finished with five critical saves for his first victory of the season in net.
- Penn State moved to 16-11-2 in Big Ten openers since joining the conference in 1991, including a perfect 2-0-0 under head coach Jeff Cook.
SEVENTH ANNUAL MACK BRADY MATCH
- Friday's match with Michigan marks the seventh annual Mack Brady Match as the Nittany Lions help celebrate the life and legacy of one of their biggest fans.
- At the age of eight, Brady passed away on Dec. 31, 2012 following an unexpected blood infection. To honor his life and love for soccer, especially goalkeeping, Mack's parents, Christian and Elizabeth Brady, created the "Mack Brady Memorial Soccer Fund." The fund is an endowment for Penn State goalkeepers to assist with recruiting, equipment and other needs.
- Penn State has always found a way to win in the Mack Brady Match, with a 4-1-1 record in those games.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
- Redshirt junior Brandon Hackenberg was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week as announced by the conference Tuesday.
- Against Ohio State in the conference opener, Hackenberg helped goalkeeper Josh Levine fend off 16 shots by the Buckeyes, only allowing one goal and no shots in the overtime period.
- The honor is the first Big Ten weekly award of Hackenberg's career and the first of the season for Penn State men's soccer.
SENIOR CLASS AWARD
- Senior Aaron Molloy has been named one of 30 candidates for the 2019 Senior CLASS Award in collegiate men's soccer.
- To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.
- Molloy is the first Penn State men's soccer candidate for the award since Kyle MacDonald in 2015.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
- Five of Penn State's 16 regular-season opponents are ranked in the top 25 of the United Soccer Coaches' week three poll while two more are receiving votes.
- As of Wednesday afternoon, the Nittany Lions had the sixth-toughest schedule in NCAA Division I men's soccer and the toughest in the Big Ten.
- Nonconference opponents Stanford (No. 1) and UCF (No. 12) remain top-15 while James Madison (No. 20) jumps back into the rankings after beating then-No. 1 Wake Forest. Conference foes Indiana (No. 5) and Rutgers (No. 22) are the other two ranked teams the NIttany Lions will face in 2019.
- Ohio State and Maryland both picked up votes in the poll after losing their conference openers.
- The Nittany Lions are 2-1-1 with ranked or receiving-votes teams in 2019.
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 has a quick turnaround as it hits the road again for a conference game with Michigan State in East Lansing on Tuesday, Oct. 1. The match between the Nittany Lions and the Spartans is set to kick off at 6 p.m. live on the Big Ten Network.