Penn State Heads to Jersey to Take on PrincetonPenn State Heads to Jersey to Take on Princeton
Mark Selders

Penn State Heads to Jersey to Take on Princeton

Opens in a new window Game Notes

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's soccer team, under fourth-year head coach Jeff Cook, starts a three-game road stretch in New Jersey this weekend, taking on the Princeton Tigers on Saturday, Sept. 25 in Princeton. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. and will stream live on ESPN+.
 
GAME INFORMATION

  • Date: Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021 | Time: 4 p.m. ET
  • Location: Princeton, N.J. | Venue: Sherrerd Field at Class of 1952 Stadium
  • Live Stats: goprincetontigers.com | Watch: ESPN+ 

LAST TIME OUT

  • Sophomore Peter Mangione's hat trick, the program's first since Corey Hertzog in 2010, powered Penn State past Villanova, 4-0, on a rainy Tuesday evening at Jeffrey Field.
  • Penn State dominated possession from the get-go, and in the 27th minute it got on the board with Mangione's first score of the match on the double cross from redshirt senior Pierre Reedy and senior Danny Bloyou.
  • Less than 10 minutes later, in the 35th minute, the Nittany Lions added to their lead as Mangione slid in front of the net to score a brace on a shot that hit the crossbar and went in to make it 2-0. Bloyou and junior Andrew Privett had the assists on another great double cross in the box to find Mangione in the six.
  • Villanova came out fighting in the second half, putting two shots on target off a corner kick in the 48th minute but redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Owen Elliott stopped both to keep the Wildcats off the board.
  • In the 70th minute, Reedy passed the ball to Privett in the top-right corner of the box and Privett fended off a Wildcat defender to net the ball to the far post, giving Penn State the three-goal advantage.
  • Just minutes later, Reedy had a breakaway chance at goal before he was taken down in the box by Villanova's keeper, Carson Williams. Williams was shown a red card and removed from the match, setting up a Penn State penalty kick opportunity.
  • Mangione stepped up to the spot and buried the goal to the left for his third of the game.
  • Elliott finished with two saves and his first career shutout. 

SCOUTING PRINCETON

  • Princeton is led by 25th-year head coach Jim Barlow and is 2-3-0 overall through nearly the first month of the 2021 season. The Tigers are coming off a 2-3 home loss to Saint Joseph's Tuesday.
  • Sophomore Francis Akomeah-Sirleaf paces the Tigers with two goals for four total points. Senior Kevin O'Toole leads the team with two assists. Six other players have recorded at least one point this season.
  • In net, senior Jack Roberts has played in all five games with four starts. He holds a 0.89 goals-against average and a 0.636 save percentage with seven saves. He has shutouts in both wins this season.
  • Penn State and Princeton have two mutual opponents this season in Rutgers and Penn. Princeton fell to Rutgers, 1-0, in its season opener (9/3) while Penn State beat Penn, 2-1, in Philadelphia (9/10).

PENN STATE AGAINST PRINCETON

  • Penn State is edged out by Princeton in the all-time series, 1-3-0.
  • The two teams have not matched up since the 1993 season in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in which the Tigers advanced by winning 5-2.
  • The Nittany Lions are looking for their first win over the Tigers since 1979.

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.
  • Eight different players have already recorded points this season with sophomore Peter Mangione and junior Andrew Privett pacing the Nittany Lions with 11 points each. Mangione has a team-high five goals and one assist while Privett adds four goals and three assists.
  • Captain of the midfield, Seth Kuhn, paces the team with four assists.
  • Penn State is averaging 2.00 goals per game to pace the conference. The Nittany Lions also have the most total goals (16), assists (17) and points (49) in the Big Ten, all marks that also stand top-20 in the nation. 

MANGIONE MAGIC HAT TRICK

  • Forward/midfielder Peter Mangione had three goals against Villanova (9/21) for a single-game career-high six points.
  • It marked the program's first hat trick since Corey Hertzog did so against Old Dominion in the NCAA Tournament in 2010 (11/21/10).
  • With the hat trick, Mangione now has a team-high five goals this season, one shy of tying his career best of six last season as a freshman. His goal total leads the Big Ten and is 13th in the nation.

CLASS FROM THE CAPTAIN

  • Redshirt senior and three-time team captain Pierre Reedy continues to set the program standard and philosophy of team over self.
  • The Kutztown, Pa., native drew a penalty kick against Villanova (9/21) and instead of taking it himself let teammate Peter Mangione step up to the spot to earn a hat trick.
  • Mangione recounted to the media postgame about the situation: "Reedy, the exceptional guy he is, he gave it (the PK) to me and said, 'I have all the faith in you, go get your hat trick.' I would do the same for him or anyone else."

NEXT TIME OUT
Penn State returns to conference play with a road match at Michigan State on Friday, Oct. 1 in East Lansing, Mich. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and will stream live on B1G+.