UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The No. 20 Penn State men's soccer team (2-1-0, 2-1-0 Big Ten) dropped a close contest with Michigan State (1-2-0, 1-2-0 Big Ten) Saturday afternoon in Holuba Hall, falling 1-0 in the final minutes of the game.
"[That game was] a reminder today of the competitiveness of Big Ten men's soccer," said head coach Jeff Cook. "Losing a late goal is never easy, but especially when I thought our players poured so much into the second half. We're disappointed to come away with our first loss of the season, but I give the players great credit for a difficult game, one that required a lot of physical effort and concentration, and I thought we were somewhat unlucky not to score in the second half but give Michigan State credit – they played a great game over the 90 minutes."
It was truly a back-and-forth defensive battle for much of the 90 minutes as the two teams looked to find the back of the net.
Sophomore Liam Butts got the first shot of the game at 5:03 but it was blocked. The Spartans were able to hold some offensive possession, recording the next six shots of the half, but only one was on target which redshirt freshman Owen Elliott was able to make the save.
The Nittany Lions' best look at the net was from junior transfer Danny Bloyou in the 51st minute, but the shot rang off the left post and back into play.
Butts fired another good shot at the 62:30 mark, but it had too much power on it and went high.
Both teams kept fighting, trading shots, and yellow cards.
Michigan State was able to stay on offense starting in the 85th minute, which a shot from Farai Mutatu saved by Elliott and the rebound going high over the crossbar.
The Spartans then got a corner kick at 86:07 to set up their offense again, and in a weird sequence, Jack Beck's shot hit the post and somehow found the back-left corner of the net to give the visitors the only lead they needed.
UP NEXT
Penn State begins a two-game road stand, first at Michigan in Ann Arbor on Wednesday, March 3. The game is currently slated to start at 11 a.m.
