UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's soccer team (6-1-1, 6-1-1 Big Ten) starts the 2020-21 postseason in the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 2 seed and is set to host No. 7-seed Ohio State (3-5-1, 3-5-1 Big Ten) at Jeffrey Field on Saturday, April 10. Kickoff in the quarterfinal game is set for noon and will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network with Dean Linke (pxp) and Patrick Doody (analyst) on the call.
GAME INFORMATION
- Date: Saturday, April 10, 2021 | Time: Noon ET
- Location: University Park, Pa. | Venue: Jeffrey Field
- Live Stats: GoPSUsports.com | Watch: Big Ten Network
PENN STATE IN THE BIG TEN TOURNAMENT
- Penn State is 30-22-5 (.570) all-time in the Big Ten Tournament since it started in 1991.
- The Nittany Lions are the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament for the second-straight season.
- Penn State is 6-6-0 all-time as a two-seed but a perfect 4-0-0 against the seven-seed.
- The Nittany Lions are 5-3-0 against the Buckeyes in tournament play.
PENN STATE AGAINST OHIO STATE
- Penn State and Ohio State face off Saturday for the 40th time in program history and the second time this season. This will be the teams' ninth all-time match up in the Big Ten Tournament.
- The Nittany Lions lead the all-time series, 21-14-4, and the tournament series, 5-3-0.
- Penn State won the regular-season contest at Jeffrey Field, 1-0, on March 23 for its third-straight win and second-straight shutout, at the time.
- The Nittany Lions' goal came in the 75th minute from freshman Peter Mangione. Penn State earned a corner kick in the 73rd minute that was taken by junior Seth Kuhn, and after the ball was kicked out of the box back to Kuhn, he passed it right back in to find Mangione in the six to slot it home for the eventual game-winning goal.
- Sophomore goalkeeper Kris Shakes finished with five saves in the victory in the Eighth Annual Mack Brady Match.
SCOUTING OHIO STATE
- The Ohio State Buckeyes are led by third-year head coach Brian Maisonneuve. They finished the regular season with a 3-5-1 record to earn the No. 7 seed in the Big Ten Tournament.
- Freshman Parker Grinstead paces Ohio State with a team-high eight points on three goals and two assists. Classmate Laurence Wootton was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and has four points on one goal and two assists.
- In net, senior goalkeeper Noah Lawrence holds a 1.30 goals-against average with 24 saves for a .667 save percentage. He had two shutouts during the regular season.
LAST TIME OUT
- Penn State extended its unbeaten streak to five games with a 2-2 double-overtime draw at Maryland on March 31.
- The Nittany Lions found the equalizer twice to force the draw and clinch the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament.
- After the Terrapins found the early goal just 95 seconds into the match, Penn State scored the initial equalizer in the 20th minute on the long ball into the six by redshirt senior Brandon Hackenberg to find freshman Peter Mangione for his fourth goal of the season.
- At the start of the second half, Maryland was awarded a penalty kick but sophomore goalkeeper Kris Shakes came up with the huge save to keep the game tied.
- The Terrapins drew another foul in the box in the 63rd minute and this time converted on the PK to take the lead again.
- Penn State refused to give up, however, and in the 86th minute, sophomore Jalen Watson made a short pass to redshirt senior Pierre Reedy right outside the six and he kept his shot low and to the far post for the equalizer with just four minutes to play.
- Both teams had decent chances for the golden goal in both overtime periods, but the thrilling match would end in a draw to conclude the regular season.
SEVEN NITTANY LIONS RECOGNIZED WITH ALL-BIG TEN AWARDS
- Seven Nittany Lions were honored by the Big Ten with All-Big Ten honors as announced by the conference office Friday.
- Junior Danny Bloyou and redshirt senior captains Pierre Reedy and Brandon Hackenberg were named to the All-Big Ten First Team.
- Junior Seth Kuhn and sophomore Kris Shakes were named to the All-Big Ten Second Team, and freshman Peter Mangione earned a spot on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team.
- Redshirt junior Nicholas Rieple is Penn State's Sportsmanship Award honoree.
- Penn State has three members on the first team for the second consecutive season for the first time since 2005-06. They also have at least one player on the all-freshman team for the sixth-straight year (2015-present).
NEXT TIME OUT
The winner of this quarterfinal match will go on to play the winner of the Michigan/Michigan State quarterfinal match in the Big Ten Tournament Semifinals on Wednesday, April 14. The game will be played on the campus of the highest remaining seed.