UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's soccer team (12-4-3) ended its incredible 2019 season in heartbreak, falling to Providence, 3-2, in overtime Sunday evening at Jeffrey Field.
"What I just said to the players in the team room is that I'm immensely proud of what they accomplished in the 2019 season," said second-year head coach Jeff Cook. "I'm going to miss this team immensely. But what they've done as a group to put Penn State back in the national picture deserves a lot of credit. I thought we battled really well against an outstanding Providence team. We put ourselves in a good position and potentially maybe could have scored a goal or two more over the course of the 90 minutes. So, although I'm absolutely distraught of the thought of the season being over, I'm also a very proud coach and really grateful for the work these guys have put in all season long."
The first half of play was what one would expect in playoff soccer, with both teams trying to establish possession. The Friars outshot the Nittany Lions, 5-1, at the break, but redshirt junior goalkeeper Josh Levine made three saves to keep the game scoreless.
The 15th-seeded home team made quick work of the visitors out of the locker room as senior captain Aaron Molloy did as he did all season long with a long-range shot from the top of the box that hit the inside of the post and went in for the 1-0 lead in the 50th minute.
Less than five minutes later, the freshman duo of Kyle May and Alex Stevenson connected inside the box to put Penn State up 2-0.
Providence got back within one less than a minute later to make it 2-1 with about 35 minutes to play.
Penn State had six shots in the next 20 minutes to try to find the insurance goal, but Providence goalkeeper Austin Aviza made five saves to keep the Nittany Lions out of the back of the net.
The Friars tied the game in the 86th minute to force overtime before finding the golden goal in the 95th minute to advance to the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
Penn State finished the 2019 season with a 12-4-3 overall record, its best record since 2014 when it also fell in the second round of the national tournament.
