Men’s Soccer Holds Two-Goal Advantage Over Pitt in VictoryMen’s Soccer Holds Two-Goal Advantage Over Pitt in Victory
Mark Selders

Men’s Soccer Holds Two-Goal Advantage Over Pitt in Victory

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Box Score

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's soccer team (7-2-2, 3-1-1 Big Ten) scored three-plus goals for the fourth time this season as it took down in-state rival Pittsburgh (6-4-2, 2-2-1 ACC), 3-1, Tuesday evening at Jeffrey Field.

"This is an important victory for us this season," said head coach Jeff Cook. "I'm really impressed with how the players handled themselves. Pitt's an outstanding program in the ACC so we knew this game had a lot of meaning in terms of not only the in-state rivalry but also postseason implications. So I'm delighted with how we went about our work tonight and we got an important win here at Jeffrey Field."

Pitt got the game going early with seven shots within the first 35 minutes of action, forcing freshman goalkeeper Kris Shakes to make four saves.

In the 37th minute, junior Callum Pritchatt was tripped up in the box, drawing a penalty on the Panthers to give the Nittany Lions a chance on the penalty kick.

Senior captain Aaron Molloy stepped up and put the PK right past Pitt goalkeeper Arie Ammann to give Penn State the 1-0 advantage headed into the break.


The Nittany Lions took no time to increase their lead immediately out of halftime, scoring two goals within two and a half minutes.

The first came courtesy of Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week Liam Butts as he went near-post on Ammann off the pass from Molloy.


Penn State's third goal was from freshman Jalen Watson, his first collegiate goal. Adam Laundree headed the ball to Pierre Reedy right outside the box who then got his own head on it and to Watson as he was unmarked by the Pitt defenders.


The Panthers continued to press the Penn State defense, however, forcing Shakes to make six more saves in the second half. Pitt managed to come through with a goal in the 84th minute after a corner kick by Veljko Petkovic found Bryce Washington's head.

Pitt outshot Penn State, 18-8, but all three of the Nittany Lions' shots on goal made it to the back of the net.

Penn State returns to Big Ten action when it hits the road on Saturday, Oct. 19 in Madison, Wisc., for a matchup with the Wisconsin Badgers. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET.

Game Notes:

  • Senior captain Aaron Molloy is a perfect 3-for-3 in penalty kicks this season.
  • Freshman forward Liam Butts now has a team-high six goals on the season, also tied for the most in the conference.
  • Freshman goalkeeper Kris Shakes recorded a career-high 10 saves and is a perfect 4-0-0 on the season in net.
  • Walk-on Adam Laundree registered his first career assist on freshman defender Jalen Watson's first career goal.
  • The Nittany Lions have scored three or more goals in four games this season, the most since 2012.
  • Four of Penn State's seven wins this season have been by two or more goals.