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.