CARY, N.C. – The Penn State men's soccer team (9-2-2, 6-1-1 Big Ten) put in everything it had to complete a comeback to take down defending national champions Georgetown (10-1-2, 7-0-2 Big East), but fell just short, 3-2, in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2020-21 NCAA Tournament Thursday afternoon at WakeMed Field.
"Any time your season ends, it's really a difficult and very emotional moment, and it's especially so when you have a team that you're immensely proud of, that you enjoy being around and coaching, and I think this group of student-athletes has represented Penn State so well over the course of the year," said head coach Jeff Cook. "Credit to Georgetown – they played an outstanding game – and I thought our team fought back in the second half and did a fantastic job of pushing Georgetown to the limit, and were, I think to a degree, unlucky not to score the third and tying goal. I'm really proud of the response that our team gave today, but we are truly disappointed that we can not continue in the NCAA Tournament this year. But good things ahead, really proud of the group."
After trailing by two goals at halftime, Penn State got back within one with 30 minutes left in the second half but couldn't find the equalizer to extend the season.
Junior Danny Bloyou took the first shot of the day in the fourth minute for Penn State however the attempt went left of the target. Georgetown countered and took its first shot but sophomore goalkeeper Kris Shakes was there for the save.
Penn State was then called for a hand ball in its defensive box in the ninth minute to set up a penalty kick for the Hoyas which was converted to give them an early 1-0 lead.
Not even four minutes later, the Penn State offense kept the ball in its attacking third and Bloyou made a move in the box before getting tripped up to earn the Nittany Lions a penalty kick attempt of their own. Freshman Peter Mangione stepped up to take it and converted to equalize the score.
From there, the Hoyas offense really dominated, registering 11 total shots in the first half and scoring two more goals to take a 3-1 advantage into the break.
The Nittany Lions came out of locker room still determined and more focused offensively, as sophomore Liam Butts was able to register the first shot of the second half on target with a header that was barely saved by the Georgetown keeper.
Bloyou then got Penn State back within one with the perfect touch on the ball to the back of the net on the pass from redshirt senior Pierre Reedy in the 59th minute.
The 12th-ranked Nittany Lions continued to put in all they had in the remaining 30 minutes of regulation to find the equalizer, but the No. 7 Hoyas stood strong for the eventual victory and advancement in the national tournament.
Penn State finishes the unprecedented 2020-21 season with a 9-2-2 overall record as Cook is in just his third season at the helm and continues to bring the program back into the national spotlight. The team will look to continue its upward trajectory in the traditional fall 2021 season slated to begin near the end of August.
GAME NOTES
- Junior Danny Bloyou scored his team-leading eighth goal of the season and finishes with 18 total points after not recording a single scoring statistic in two years at Old Dominion.
- Sophomore goalkeeper Kris Shakes finished the match with six saves for 13 total in the NCAA Tournament. He suffered just his second career loss in net and moves to 17-2-2 in just two seasons as the net-minder.