No. 17 Penn State Travels to West Virginia Friday for First Road TestNo. 17 Penn State Travels to West Virginia Friday for First Road Test
Mark Selders

No. 17 Penn State Travels to West Virginia Friday for First Road Test

Opens in a new window Game Notes

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The No. 17 Penn State men's soccer team, under fourth-year head coach Jeff Cook, hits the road for the first time in 2021 with a trip to Morgantown, West Virginia to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers on Friday, Sept. 3. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. from Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium and will air live on ESPN+.
 
GAME INFORMATION

  • Date: Friday, Sept. 3, 2021 | Time: 7 p.m. ET
  • Location: Morgantown, W.V. | Venue: Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium
  • Live Stats: Statbroadcast.com | Watch: ESPN+ 

LAST TIME OUT

  • No. 11 Penn State put a three-spot on Syracuse Sunday evening on a rain-soaked Jeffrey Field to move to 1-0-1 after week one.
  • The Nittany Lions wasted no time getting on the scoreboard with a goal in the fourth minute by sophomore Peter Mangione.
  • Out of the halftime break, Penn State added to its lead after redshirt senior Pierre Reedy drew a foul in the box and then buried the penalty kick.
  • Just over a minute later, senior Seth Kuhn had a shot at the far post that was initially saved by the Syracuse keeper before junior Andrew Privett cleaned up the rebound for the eventual 3-0 winning score.
  • Kuhn finished with two assists with the first on Mangione's goal.
  • Junior goalkeeper Kris Shakes and the backline recorded their first shutout of the season. 

OFFENSIVE WEAPONS

  • Penn State's offense has weapons at every position on the pitch, making it difficult for opposing defenses to keep the ball out of the back of the net.
  • Six different players have already recorded points this season with junior midfielder Andrew Privett leading the Nittany Lions with three points on one goal and an assist.
  • Captain of the midfield, Seth Kuhn, paces the team with two assists.
  • Penn State averages 14.5 shots per game and 7.00 shots on goal per game. Its 48.3 percent shot accuracy also paces the Big Ten Conference.

GAME-WINNERS ONLY FROM MANGIONE

  • Forward/midfielder Peter Mangione is clutch when needed most.
  • The Hunt Valley, Md., native has seven career goals so far in his young career, five of which are game-winners, including his first goal of the season in the fourth minute against Syracuse.

SHAKE YOUR GROOVE THING

  • Junior goalkeeper Kris Shakes posted a shutout against Syracuse with six saves in his first game of the season in between the pipes.
  • The Parkland, Fla., native now has eight career shutouts and an 18-2-2 career record.

NATIONAL RECOGNITION

  • After the first week of the season, Penn State dropped in the United Soccer Coaches ranking slightly to No. 17.
  • The Nittany Lions sit at No. 11 in Top Drawer Soccer's poll and at No. 9 in College Soccer News' poll.
  • Big Ten foe Indiana sits at a unanimous No. 1 in all the polls while Maryland is also ranked in every poll. 

NEXT TIME OUT
Penn State returns to Happy Valley for a Labor Day matchup at Jeffrey Field with American on Monday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. American is the defending Patriot League champions from a season ago as well as an NCAA Tournament team.