Penn States Wraps Up Homestand with Villanova TuesdayPenn States Wraps Up Homestand with Villanova Tuesday
Mark Selders

Penn States Wraps Up Homestand with Villanova Tuesday

Opens in a new window Game Notes

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's soccer team (4-2-1, 1-0-0 Big Ten), under fourth-year head coach Jeff Cook, wraps up a three-game homestand and takes a break from conference play this week with two non-conference match-ups, first welcoming the Villanova Wildcats (5-1-0, 1-0-0 Big East) to Jeffrey Field on Tuesday, Sept. 21. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and will stream live on Big Ten Network+.
 
GAME INFORMATION

Parking Information
Parking for all Penn State Athletics' non-football events will require a valid permit or payment of the applicable parking fee for campus lots. Fans with valid Penn State University Park parking permits will be permitted to park at non-football athletics events for free, following Transportation Services parking policies and access.
 
For men's soccer matches, fans are asked to park in the Jordan East, Stadium West or Porter North lots. Fans without a permit are encouraged to prepay for event parking at a discounted rate of $5.50 through ParkMobile - https://psu.parkmobile.io/. Prepayment is available through 11:59 p.m. the day prior to each event. Event day parking will be $10 per vehicle and is cash only/can be purchased on the ParkMobile app. The East Deck is also available for most events for $1 per hour.
 
Parking for all non-football athletics events is managed by Penn State Transportation Services. For more information or questions, visit transportation.psu.edu or email parking@psu.edu.
 
LAST TIME OUT

  • Behind a brace from junior forward Liam Butts, Penn State came back from a goal down to beat Northwestern, 2-1, Friday evening in the Big Ten opener at Jeffrey Field.
  • The visitors got on the board first in the 12th minute and would carry that advantage into the halftime break despite the Nittany Lions outshooting the Wildcats, 12-4.
  • The offensive pressure continued for Penn State into the second half, so quickly that Butts found the equalizer just 19 seconds in on a great strike from the top of the box on the pass from classmate Andrew Privett.
  • About five minutes later, senior Danny Bloyou was able to fend off a Northwestern defender and crossed the ball to Butts in the six who finished the ball with his right foot to the near post for the go-ahead goal.
  • Penn State continued to press once ahead, looking for the insurance goal to put a stamp on the conference opener. In the 75th minute, junior Alex Stevenson had a shot that deflected off a Wildcat defender and trickled into the back of the net, but an unfortunate offsides call overturned the goal.
  • Northwestern had a few chances in the closing minutes to find its equalizer, but goalkeeper Kris Shakes and the defense maintained their attempts to give the Nittany Lions the win.

SCOUTING VILLANOVA

  • Villanova is led by 14th-year head coach Tom Carlin and is 5-1-0 overall and 1-0-0 in Big East play through the first month of the 2021 season. The Wildcats currently own a three-game win streak and are coming off a 1-0 road win over Marquette in their conference opener.
  • Junior Lyam MacKinnon paces the Wildcats with eight points on three goals and two assists. Freshman Balthi Saunders also has three goals and one assist for seven total points. Five other players have recorded points this season.
  • In net, redshirt senior Carson Williams has played all six games. He holds a 0.65 goals-against average and a 0.778 save percentage with 14 saves. Williams also has two shutouts this season. 

PENN STATE AGAINST VILLANOVA

  • Penn State holds a 9-2-1 all-time series advantage over Villanova.
  • The two teams last met up in the 2019 season (9/13/19) at Jeffrey Field. The Nittany Lions shut out the Wildcats, 1-0, on a goal from then-sophomore Seth Kuhn.
  • Penn State is a perfect 8-0-0 against Villanova on Jeffrey Field.

NEXT TIME OUT
Penn State starts a three-game road trip over the weekend, traveling to Princeton, New Jersey to take on Princeton on Saturday, Sept. 25. Kickoff from Sherrerd Field at Class of 1952 Stadium is set for 4 p.m. and will stream live on ESPN+.