UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's soccer team (6-1-0, 6-1-0 Big Ten) will travel to College Park, Md. to face the Maryland Terrapins (4-3-0, 4-3-0 Big Ten) for the second time this season on Wednesday, March 31. Kickoff has been moved up to noon at Ludwig Field from the original 5 p.m. schedule due to impending weather in the evening hours. The match will still be broadcast live on Big Ten Network with Chris Vosters (pxp) and Chris Munroe (analyst) on the call.
GAME INFORMATION
- Date: Wednesday, March 31, 2021 | Time: Noon ET
- Location: College Park, Md. | Venue: Ludwig Field
- Live Stats: umterps.com | Watch: Big Ten Network
PENN STATE AGAINST MARYLAND
- Penn State and Maryland face off Wednesday for the 50th time in program history and the second time this season on the back end of a home-and-home.
- The Nittany Lions trail in the all-time series, 19-25-5, but did win the first contest between the teams back in February.
- In the 2020-21 season opener, then-No. 23 Penn State held on to beat then-No. 21 Maryland in Holuba Hall. Sophomore Andrew Privett scored the opening goal in the sixth minute from freshman Peter Mangione for the early lead. Redshirt senior Pierre Reedy added to the Nittany Lions' lead in the 26th minute with his first goal since 2016. Mangione then scored what would be the eventual game-winning goal in the 35th minute from junior transfer Danny Bloyou.
- The Terrapins attempted to front a comeback, scoring two goals after Penn State's initial 3-0 lead, but the home team was able to hang on for the win.
- It marked Penn State's second-straight win over Maryland for the first time since 2004-05.
SCOUTING MARYLAND
- The Maryland Terrapins are led by 27-year head coach Sasho Cirovski. After starting the season 0-3, the Terrapins have won four-straight games for a 4-3-0 record entering the last week of the regular season.
- Redshirt senior Paul Bin leads Maryland with a team-high seven points on a team-high three goals and one assist. Redshirt sophomore Nick Richardson paces the team with two assists.
- In net, freshman Jamie Lowell and sophomore Niklas Neumann have split time, playing four games and three games, respectively. Lowell played the most recent game for the Terrapins against Northwestern for his first career win in between the pipes. He was in net back in February in the first match up in Holuba Hall. Neumann has the lone shutout for Maryland this season and holds a 0.67 goals-against average with a .750 save percentage.
LAST TIME OUT
- Penn State won its fourth-straight game Saturday with its third-straight 1-0 shutout victory over Wisconsin at Jeffrey Field.
- The Nittany Lions scored the lone goal of the game in the 87th minute after a scoreless first half. Freshman Tyger Evans drew a foul in the box to set up a penalty kick in which redshirt senior Pierre Reedy buried for the eventual game-winning goal.
- Sophomore goalkeeper Kris Shakes finished with three saves for his third-straight clean sheet to move to 5-0-0 in net this season.
B1G PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
- Redshirt senior Pierre Reedy and sophomore goalkeeper Kris Shakes earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors, as announced by the conference office Tuesday afternoon.
- Reedy was named Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week, sharing the award with Indiana's Ryan Wittenbrink, while Shakes was named Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week, sharing the award with Indiana's Roman Celentano.
- Both were the first weekly awards of their careers.
OFFENSIVE FIREPOWER
- Penn State offensively is taking a lot of shots, but a lot of good shots on target.
- The Nittany Lions are pacing the league with an average 13.9 shots per game, recording 13 or more shots in five of seven games this season. They are averaging a league-high 6.29 of those shots on net, a mark that is also 30th in the nation.
CLEAN SHEETS
- The Penn State defense, led by redshirt senior Brandon Hackenberg, a veteran on the backline, and sophomore Kris Shakes in net, posted its third-straight shutout dating back to March 19.
- The last time Penn State posted three consecutive winning shutouts was during head coach Jeff Cook's first season in 2018 (vs. Stony Brook, 3-0, 10/9/18; vs. Wisconsin, 1-0, 10/14/18; vs. Detroit Mercy, 2-0, 10/17/18).
NEXT TIME OUT
Penn State has a bye for the final day of games for the 2020-21 regular season, so it will await its fate and seeding for the Big Ten Tournament. The quarterfinals are set for Saturday, April 10 and will be played at the campus sites of the top four seeds.