UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The 19th-ranked Penn State men's soccer team (8-2-3, 4-1-1 Big Ten) will play its final nonconference game of the regular season when it hosts Appalachian State at Jeffrey Field on Friday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m.
GAME INFORMATION
- Date: Friday, Oct. 25, 2019 | Time: 7 p.m. ET
- Location: University Park, Pa. | Venue: Jeffrey Field
- Live Stats: GoPSUsports.com | Watch: BTN Plus ($)
PENN STATE AGAINST APPALACHIAN STATE
- Penn State and Appalachian State are set to meet on the pitch for the first time in program history Friday.
SCOUTING APPALACHIAN STATE
- The Appalachian State Mountaineers are 9-3-1 overall and 2-1-0 in the Sun Belt Conference.
- Sophomore classmates Camden Holbrook and Kelan Swales lead the team with 10 points each on a team-high four goals and two assists.
- In net, redshirt freshman Jacob Madden has played all 13 games and holds a 0.93 goals against average and .782 save percentage.
- As a team, the Mountaineers have shut out six opponents in 2019.
- App State holds a NCAA RPI of 51 as of Wednesday.
LAST TIME OUT
- Foggy conditions rolling through Happy Valley Tuesday evening forced an early end to No. 19 Penn State's game with No. RV James Madison. With 72 minutes being played, the game officially ended in a 1-1 draw.
- The Dukes struck first on their first shot on net in the 17th minute but Penn State was a force on attack with five shots on net in the first 20 minutes of play.
- Senior captain Aaron Molloy was finally able to get one past the Dukes' goalkeeper in the 42nd minute after Dax Hoffman crossed it in and Molloy finished with his left foot.
- The Nittany Lions then had multiple offensive opportunities to take the lead in the second half, starting with freshman Andrew Privett's shot in the 56th minute that hit off the post.
- The game was officially called by the referees in the 72nd minute due to player safety concerns with the dense fog.
NATIONAL RECOGNITION
- Penn State is ranked No. 19 in the United Soccer Coaches week eight poll as announced Tuesday.
- It marks the first top-25 ranking for the Nittany Lions since Sept. 22, 2015 when they were ranked No. 21.
- Previously this season Penn State had received votes in the USC weekly poll three times (weeks 4-5, 7).
- The Nittany Lions are also ranked No. 15 in Top Drawer Soccer's poll this week.
TOP-15 RPI
- The second NCAA RPI ranking of the 2019 season has Penn State ranked No. 14, the highest-ranking team in the Big Ten.
- In the first poll the Nittany Lions checked in at No. 10.
- See the full list of rankings here.
OCTOBER OVERLOAD
- Penn State will play eight games in the month of October, including six within the friendly confines of Jeffrey Field.
- The Nittany Lions are currently in the middle of a stretch of six games in 18 days.
- So far, the Nittany Lions are 4-1-1 this month.
IRISH MESSI
- Senior midfielder Aaron Molloy leads the team with 16 points on a team-high seven goals and two assists.
- Molloy is in the top 50 nationally for total goals and is second in the conference.
- The team co-captain is also second in the conference in total points and 70th nationally.
- Molloy was named Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week and Top Drawer Soccer's Player of the Week on Tuesday.
WELL-ROUNDED OFFENSE
- 15 different Nittany Lions have recorded points in the 2019 season, including 10 different goal scorers.
- Penn State has scored 24 goals through 13 games, the most since the 2014 season (29).
GOING BACK-TO-BACK (WITH TWO OFFENSIVE AND TWO DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK)
- Redshirt juniors Brandon Hackenberg (Sept. 24) and Josh Levine (Oct. 1) were named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks.
- The honor was the first Big Ten weekly award of Hackenberg's career and the second for Levine.
- Freshman Liam Butts (Oct. 15) and senior captain Aaron Molloy (Oct. 22) also earned back-to-back Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors.
- Both those were career firsts for the Nittany Lions' leading goal scorers.
NEXT TIME OUT
Penn State completes its 2019 regular-season home games at Jeffrey Field on Tuesday, Oct. 29 when defending national champion Maryland comes to town. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. live on the Big Ten Network. The program will also honor its nine Nittany Lion seniors postgame.