UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's soccer team, under head coach Jeff Cook, is set to take the pitch for the first time in 453 days when it hosts Maryland to open the 2020-21 season Friday in Holuba Hall. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. and will stream live on the subscription based Big Ten Network+.
GAME INFORMATION
- Date: Friday, Feb. 19, 2021 | Time: 6 p.m. ET
- Location: University Park, Pa. | Venue: Holuba Hall (indoors)
- Live Stats: GoPSUsports.com | Watch: Big Ten Network+ ($)
KICKING OFF 2020-21 AT "HOME"
- Penn State has opened nine of the last 10 seasons with a home game, including the last three-straight with 2020-21 being the fourth consecutive.
- While not being able to play within the friendly confines of Jeffrey Field due to the weather, the Nittany Lions will still enjoy the home atmosphere within Holuba Hall.
PENN STATE AGAINST MARYLAND
- Penn State and Maryland meet for the 49th time in program history but the first time as a season-opening game.
- The Nittany Lions trail the Terrapins in the series, 18-25-5.
- This will be the first of two meetings between the teams this season as they will play a home-and-home in the conference-only schedule.
- Last season, Penn State beat Maryland in an overtime thriller at Jeffrey Field, coming back from a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2 in overtime. The win snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Terrapins as Penn State picked up its first win over Maryland since 2005.
2019 IN REVIEW
- Penn State finished the 2019 season with a 12-4-3 overall record and 6-1-1 record in Big Ten Conference play to finish second in the league.
- The Nittany Lions returned to the NCAA Tournament field for the first time since 2014 and earned a national seeding in the tournament for the first time since 2010.
- Penn State also went undefeated (6-0-1) on the road during the regular season for the first time since 1995 after not winning a single road game the season before.
UNPRECEDENTED SEASON
- This season will be unlike any other for the Nittany Lions and the rest of the Big Ten Conference and most of the nation after the traditional fall season was postponed to the spring due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
- Penn State will play a 10-game conference-only schedule for 2020-21, facing each opponent once while having a home-and-home with Maryland and Rutgers.
- The 2020-21 NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament will feature a condensed field of 32 teams compared to a normal 48-team tournament.
NO IFS, ANDS OR BUTTS ABOUT IT
- Forward Liam Butts had a standout rookie season in 2019, recording 19 points on nine goals and one assist.
- Butts earned United Soccer Coaches All-North Region second-team honors, first-team All-Big Ten honors, and was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team.
- He registered five game-winning goals for the Nittany Lions, the most in the conference and a mark that stood 16th nationally.
- His nine goals were the second most in the Big Ten and 55th in the nation while the 19 points were third most in the league and 94th nationally.
- Now a sophomore, Butts was one of 34 players named to the 2020-21 Men's MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List.
SHAKE YOUR GROOVE THING
- Goalkeeper Kris Shakes returns in net for Penn State in 2020-21 after a stellar rookie campaign in 2019.
- Shakes split time with veteran Josh Levine, playing over 900 minutes in between the pipes with a 0.69 goals against average and a .851 save percentage in 10 starts.
- His 0.691 goals against average is sixth best at Penn State since 1970. He finished second in the league and 11th national with that average and was first in the conference and second nationally in save percentage.
- Shakes finished with a 9-1-0 record in 2019 with four shutouts.
HACKENBERG PICKED 22ND IN 2021 MLS SUPERDRAFT
- Redshirt senior Brandon Hackenberg was selected 22nd overall by Orlando City SC in the first round of the 2021 MLS SuperDraft on Jan. 21.
- He is the 16th Nittany Lion to be drafted by MLS and the third-highest draftee in program history.
- Hackenberg has decided to return to Penn State this spring to play with his team as he has "unfinished business."
NATIONAL RECOGNITION
- Penn State finished the 2019 season ranked No. 18 by United Soccer Coaches.
- The Nittany Lions cracked the top 25 back on Oct. 22, 2019 for the first time since Sept. 22, 2015 and remained in the top 25 the remainder of the season.
- United Soccer Coaches had a modified ranking system during the traditional fall season with not every team playing and will return to a top-25 poll on Tuesday, Feb. 23.
- Penn State starts the 2020-21 season ranked No. 23 by Top Drawer Soccer.
NEXT TIME OUT
Penn State will hit the road for the first time this season, traveling to Piscataway, N.J. to face Rutgers on Tuesday, Feb. 23. The game is slated for a noon kickoff.