COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The Penn State men's soccer team (12-3-3, 6-1-1 Big Ten) saw its eight-game unbeaten streak come to an end in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals as Michigan won, 1-0, Friday afternoon at Ludwig Field on the campus of the University of Maryland.
"This was a hard-fought battle, typical of a Big Ten Tournament match," said head coach Jeff Cook. "Michigan is an outstanding team and I'm proud of our players for putting forth such an amazing effort throughout the 90 minutes. It's disappointing we were unable to finish, however I think this is excellent preparation for the NCAA Tournament."
As Cook told Dean Linke and Jason Garey in his halftime interview, the first half felt like a semifinal game with both teams playing very tactical soccer.
Penn State's best look at the net came in the 12th minute when Pierre Reedy was able to play a ball through to Christian Sload but his shot was blocked by Michigan goalkeeper Owen Finnerty.
At the break, the Nittany Lions held the slight advantage in shots, 4-2.
The Wolverines gained some offensive control in the second half with two shots in the opening 15 minutes that forced goalkeeper Kris Shakes to make one save.
In the 62nd minute, Shakes played out of the box and an unfortunate foul set up a Michigan free kick in which Jack Hallahan scored for the eventual 1-0 winning scoreline.
Penn State's offense kept pressing until the clock hit zero, earning two corner kicks in the final three minutes, but were unable to find the back of the net.
Shakes finished with four saves in the match and suffered his first loss of the year in net.
The Nittany Lions will await their bid in the 2019 NCAA Tournament. The selection show is on Monday, Nov. 18 at 1 p.m. and will stream live on ncaa.com.
