No. 16 Men’s Soccer Comes from Behind to Beat No. 17 Maryland in OvertimeNo. 16 Men’s Soccer Comes from Behind to Beat No. 17 Maryland in Overtime
Mark Selders

No. 16 Men’s Soccer Comes from Behind to Beat No. 17 Maryland in Overtime

Opens in a new window Box Score Opens in a new window Photo Gallery
Box Score

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Down two goals just 13 minutes in, the Penn State men's soccer team (10-2-3, 5-1-1 Big Ten) scored three unanswered, including the golden goal in overtime, to top defending national champions Maryland, 3-2, Tuesday evening at Jeffrey Field.

"What an incredibly special night for our program," said head coach Jeff Cook. "I think the team showed everyone the character they have about digging deep. In the position where you're two goals down against the defending national champions and to come back in that manner is just so impressive and tells you everything you need to know about our group."

The first nearly 10 minutes of the game saw neither team really establish total control with strategic passing and possession on both sides of the ball.

17th-ranked Maryland then got on the scoreboard first at 9:31 with a goal by Eli Crognale from Malcolm Johnston before Crognale assisted on Justin Gielen's goal less than three minutes later to put the visitors up 2-0 only 13 minutes in.

The No. 16 Nittany Lions seemed unfazed by the deficit, however, firing off six shots in the next 20 minutes before the seventh found the back of the net to cut the visitor's lead to one.

Senior Aaron Molloy crossed a perfect ball into the box that found redshirt junior Brandon Hackenberg's head for the defender's first goal of the season.


Penn State would head to the locker room at the break down 2-1, an exact replica of last season's game in College Park.

Both teams came out of halftime hot, but the Nittany Lions were the ones able to get back on the scoreboard to tie the game at two in the 56th minute when freshman Kyle May's left-footed rebound shot got in on the near post for his first-career goal.


Senior Christian Sload nearly had the game-winner in the 58th minute when his breakaway shot was denied by Maryland goalkeeper Niklas Neumann's face.

Freshman goalkeeper Kris Shakes made four great saves in the second frame to help force overtime for the second-straight meeting with these two teams.

Both teams had two shots on goal in the overtime period that were saved by the respective keepers before Sload called game with the golden goal on Senior Night with about 30 seconds left to give the Nittany Lions their 10th win of the season and their first win over the Terrapins since 2005.


Penn State concludes the 2019 regular season at Rutgers on Sunday, Nov. 3 at 3 p.m. in Piscataway, N.J. The Nittany Lions will then await their seeding in the Big Ten Tournament with the quarterfinals set for Sunday, Nov. 10.

Game Notes:

  • The comeback victory marks the first time Penn State has erased a 2-0 deficit to come back and win since a 3-2 win over then-No. 17 Ohio State on Oct. 11, 2008.
  • Penn State won its first game of the season over a ranked team, also the first victory over a ranked team since Oct. 15, 2016 when the Nittany Lions knocked off then-No. 19 Michigan State, 1-0 in overtime.
  • The Nittany Lions snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Terrapins for their first win over Maryland since the 2005 season.
  • Penn State has 10 wins on the season, the first season with double-digit wins since 2014 (13-6-1).
  • Freshman goalkeeper Kris Shakes is a perfect 7-0-0 in net this season.
  • With two assists in the game, senior Aaron Molloy recorded his first-career multi-assist game.
  • Freshman Kyle May scored his first collegiate goal.

Coach Cook Quotes:
Q: Looking ahead, what's it going to be like without these seniors?
A: "I don't want to think about that right now because, hopefully, we have a long road ahead with Rutgers and the Big Ten Tournament and hopefully we can fight our way into the NCAA Tournament, so I don't want to look too far ahead. But I think what they showed you tonight is their belief in each other and what we are trying to achieve as a team. And despite [the scoreboard], funny enough, we played really well in the beginning stages of the game. I think their leadership was vital. Obviously, [Brandon] Hackenberg gets the first goal and I think that one is really important because you can go to halftime knowing you're a bit closer. But those guys are fantastic all the way around. What I am asking them and the rest of the group is much more.

Q: What's the adversity with a two-goal deficit and Pierre [Reedy] going down? How are those things going to help you with postseason and single elimination games?
A: "We're happy Pierre's injury is a cut. I was really worried it was way more serious, but it doesn't look long term. Obviously, we will see the doctor tomorrow … despite the fact that it was tough to play without him [in the second half]. Secondly, I felt going into this game and the games at home against – with all due respect to the other teams – against the elite programs with multiple national championships – Stanford, Indiana – doesn't go well early and now the start of this game doesn't go well against the 2018 National Champions, thinking to yourself we've got to get over this. So I think the ability to come from behind and win the game against a marquee opponent, a program that has multiple national championships under their belt, proves to us that we can compete at this level. Now that doesn't mean anything, we've got to do it again and again, first against Rutgers Sunday. But I think it should give us that belief that we can compete at this caliber."

Q: You went down to Stanford and Indiana this season, but you were able to get over that hump tonight. Is there anything in particular that contributed to that?
A: "I think the quality of our playing with possession of the ball is vital. I thought the times we were a threat, obviously Christian [Sload] with his speed he's really dangerous in the counterattack, and when we play behind their team. But I thought some of our passing and our connecting through midfield has been much improved, and I think that's a major factor tonight."

Q: You just reached double-digit wins. From when you took over last year, did you see this becoming a possibility so early in your tenure?
A: "I was really encouraged with the work the guys did over the summer. We have a really dedicated group. We have an incredibly gifted performance team – our trainers, our performance coaches – so I thought we were well prepared for the season. Soccer's a funny game – you win a couple games like this and it can compel you to do good things. I have a lot of belief in our players but when you look back and ask me in August, facing this schedule, I would say we have one of the hardest home schedules in the country, so very bluntly, no. But I think that once we started to come together, I realized how primitive this team was to the ideals of being together. I think anything is possible."