UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's soccer team (9-2-3, 4-1-1 Big Ten) will conclude regular-season play at Jeffrey Field on Tuesday, Oct. 29 when Big Ten foe Maryland comes to town. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. live on the Big Ten Network with Mike Monaco (play-by-play) and Jamie Watson (analyst) on the call.
GAME INFORMATION
- Date: Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2019 | Time: 6 p.m. ET
- Location: University Park, Pa. | Venue: Jeffrey Field
- Live Stats: GoPSUsports.com | Watch: Big Ten Network
PENN STATE AGAINST MARYLAND
- Penn State trails Maryland in the all-time series results, 17-25-5.
- The Nittany Lions will look for their first win over the Terrapins on Tuesday since the 2005 season when they upset then-No. 6 Maryland, 1-0.
- Last season, the Terrapins narrowly defeated the Nittany Lions, 3-2, in double overtime in College Park before eventually going on to win the national championship.
SCOUTING MARYLAND
- The Maryland Terrapins are 9-4-2 overall and 3-1-2 in Big Ten play, just two points behind Penn State in the conference standings.
- The Terrapins are ranked No. 22 in week eight of the United Soccer Coaches poll.
- Malcolm Johnston and Eric Matzelevich are tied for the team high in total points with nine each. Matzelevich has a team-high four goals while Eli Crognale has a team-high four assists.
- In net, Niklas Neumann has played a majority of the minutes and holds a 0.44 goals against average and a .872 save percentage.
- As a defense, Maryland has shut out nine opponents in 2019.
LAST TIME OUT
- Penn State took care of business in its final nonconference game of the regular season, shutting out the Appalachian State Mountaineers, 4-0, Friday evening at Jeffrey Field.
- The Nittany Lions broke the scoreboard first with a goal from freshman Liam Butts via senior captain Aaron Molloy in the 34th minute that carried the home team to a 1-0 lead at the break.
- Senior Christian Sload was able to draw a foul in the box in the 58th minute but Molloy's penalty-kick shot went wide left, the midfielder's first miss on a PK this season.
- However, in the 63rd minute, Sload found redshirt freshman Josh Dabora in the box who was able to get a toe on the ball and into the back of the net for an insurance goal and the first goal of his collegiate career.
- Less than five minutes later, Molloy had an absolute rocket shot from outside the 18 to make it 3-0 Nittany Lions.
- Redshirt junior Daniel Gonzalez made it 4-0 Penn State in the 88th minute with the header shot from freshman Alex Stevenson for the Nittany Lions' largest margin of victory in 2019.
SENIOR CELEBRATION
- Penn State men's soccer will celebrate its nine seniors at the conclusion of Tuesday's match.
- Aaron Molloy, Mason Deeds, Brandon Hackenberg, Josh Levine, Pierre Reedy, Daniel Gonzalez, Will Campbell, Kyle Perno, and Christian Sload will all be honored.
NATIONAL RECOGNITION
- Penn State is ranked No. 19 in the United Soccer Coaches week eight poll as announced last 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-10 RPI
- The third and most recent NCAA RPI ranking of the 2019 season has Penn State ranked No. 10, the highest-ranking team in the Big Ten.
- Four other 2019 opponents rank in the top 25, including Maryland at No. 18.
- See the full RPI rankings on ncaa.com.
IRISH MESSI
- Senior midfielder Aaron Molloy leads the team with 19 points on a team-high eight goals and three assists.
- Molloy is in the top 50 nationally (39) for total goals and is first in the conference.
- The team co-captain is also first in the conference in total points and 47th nationally.
- Molloy has the most goals by an individual player since Connor Maloney had eight in 2016 and the most total points since Chad Severs had 17 (7G, 3A) in 2003.
- Molloy was named Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week and Top Drawer Soccer's Player of the Week last week (10/22/19).
NO IFS, ANDS OR BUTTS ABOUT IT
- Freshman forward Liam Butts has 14 points on seven goals through the first 14 games in his rookie season.
- Butts has two multi-goal games and five game-winning goals, good for first in the conference and second nationally.
WELL-ROUNDED OFFENSE
- 15 different Nittany Lions have recorded points in the 2019 season, including 11 different goal scorers.
- Penn State has scored 28 goals through 14 games, the most since the 2005 season.
THREE'S (GOALS) NOT A CROWD
- Penn State has scored three or more goals five times this season, the most since the 2010 season.
NEXT TIME OUT
Penn State wraps up its 2019 regular-season schedule on Sunday, Nov. 3 on the road at Rutgers. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. in Piscataway, N.J.