UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's soccer team, under fourth-year head coach Jeff Cook, travels to Ohio State for another Big Ten match on Friday, Oct. 22 at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and will stream live on B1G+.
GAME INFORMATION
- Date: Friday, October 22, 2021 | Time: 7 p.m. ET
- Location: Columbus, Ohio | Venue: Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium
- Live Stats: statbroadcast.com | Watch: B1G+ ($)
LAST TIME OUT
- Penn State dropped a close match to the visiting Indiana Hoosiers, 1-0, Sunday afternoon at Jeffrey Field live on Big Ten Network.
- In blustery conditions in Happy Valley, the Nittany Lions played with the wind in the first half and were able to get five of their six shots on frame but Hoosier goalkeeper Roman Celentano played lights out in order to keep the home team out of the back of the net.
- On the other end, junior goalkeeper Kris Shakes made some great saves for Penn State, with four in the first half to keep a dangerous Indiana offense out of the net for a 0-0 halftime score.
- Indiana seemed to take advantage of Penn State's struggles playing into the wind in the second half, controlling possession and taking five shots in a 20-minute span, however none of which were on target.
- In the 75th minute, the Hoosiers had a cross into the box that took an extremely unfortunate skip off redshirt senior Brandon Hackenberg's head and into the goal to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.
- The Nittany Lions would furiously search to find the equalizer in the remaining 15 minutes but would come up just short to result in their first conference loss this season.
PENN STATE IN THE BIG TEN
- As of Oct. 21, Penn State is tied for first in the conference with 12 points with a 4-1-0 record. Indiana also has 12 points, but has played one more conference game with a 4-2-0 record.
- The Nittany Lions have finished runner-up in the league the last two seasons with a 6-1-1 Big Ten record and were picked to finish second again this season behind Indiana in the coaches' preseason poll.
MIDSEASON TOP 100
- Redshirt senior defender Brandon Hackenberg and senior forward Danny Bloyou both made Top Drawer Soccer's Midseason Top 100 update as announced Monday.
- Hackenberg was ranked No. 46 and Bloyou No. 57.
SCOUTING OHIO STATE
- Ohio State is led by fourth-year head coach Brian Maisonneuve and is 4-8-1 overall and winless, 0-5-0, in Big Ten play. The Buckeyes are in the middle of a tough stretch of seven-straight conference games to close out the regular season and have been shut out in the last four, including most recently by Michigan State (10/17).
- Sophomore Laurence Wootton paces the Buckeyes with nine points on a team-high four goals and one assist. Junior Channing Chasten leads the team with two assists. Eight other players have recorded at least one point this season.
- In net, senior Keagan McLaughlin has played a majority of the games with nine under his belt. He holds a 1.01 goals-against average and a 0.763 save percentage with 29 saves. McLaughlin has two shutouts this season.
PENN STATE AGAINST OHIO STATE
- Penn State holds a 22-14-4 all-time series advantage over Ohio State.
- Last season, the Nittany Lions and the Buckeyes met up twice: once in the regular season and again in the Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals. Penn State won a 1-0 contest on Peter Mangione's game-winner at Jeffrey Field in the regular season (3/23) and then had a 3-1 victory in the quarterfinals again at Jeffrey Field (4/10).
- Penn State head coach Jeff Cook is 4-0-0 against Ohio State during his time in Happy Valley.
- The Nittany Lions currently hold a four-game win streak over the Buckeyes.
NEXT TIME OUT
Penn State is set for one final regular-season match within the friendly confines of Jeffrey Field on Tuesday, Oct. 26 when Maryland makes the quick trip to Happy Valley. The match with the seventh-ranked Terrapins is slated for an 8 p.m. kickoff and will broadcast live on Big Ten Network with Chris Vosters (pxp) and Tim Lenahan (analyst) on the call.