UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's soccer team, under fourth-year head coach Jeff Cook, travels to Madison, Wisconsin to take on the Wisconsin Badgers in the regular-season finale on Halloween Sunday, Oct. 31. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET/Noon CT and will stream live on B1G+.
GAME INFORMATION
- Date: Sunday, Oct. 31, 2021 | Time: 1 p.m. ET/Noon CT
- Location: Madison, Wis. | Venue: McClimon Track/Soccer Complex
- Live Stats: uwbadgers.com | Watch: B1G+ ($)
LAST TIME OUT
- Penn State once again showed its persistence and grit to never give up, scoring three unanswered goals after trailing by two early to top No. 7 Maryland, 3-2, in overtime Tuesday evening at Jeffrey Field.
- On a rainy and windy night in Happy Valley, Maryland played the first half with the wind in its backs. The Terrapins struck first in the 12th minute on a good ball finished in the box to take the early 1-0 lead.
- After junior goalkeeper Kris Shakes made a save in the 30th minute, the Nittany Lions had an unfortunate turnover in the Terrapins' offensive zone in which Caden Stafford capitalized on to give the visitors a two-goal advantage after 31 minutes of play.
- As they always do, the Nittany Lions fought back to get on the scoreboard with good, sustained pressure and eventually found the back of the net in the 40th minute to make it a one-goal game.
- Senior Dax Hoffman did a good job to head the ball over to senior Danny Bloyou in the 18 as Bloyou looked like he was going to shoot but didn't get a good position on the ball, but sophomore Peter Mangione was there for the clean up as he squared up to shoot and found upper-90 to get his team on the board.
- Penn State came out of the halftime break with confidence and determination to find the equalizer as it would play with the wind in the second half.
- It was only a matter of time that Penn State would record the equalizer which it did in the 72nd minute on senior Seth Kuhn's first goal of the season. The play was set up as Mangione had a steal on the Maryland throw in and then got through the remaining defenders to cross the ball to Kuhn at the far post for the delicate left-foot finish to tie the game at 2-2.
- Regulation would end with Penn State outshooting Maryland, 11-2, in the second 45.
- Overtime started as Penn State won the toss to play with the wind in the first extra 10-minute period. Just over three minutes in, a Terrapins defender would be shown a yellow card as he pulled down Mangione right outside the box to set up a free kick.
- Junior Andrew Privett, Mangione and Kuhn all stood around the ball and once the whistle was blown, Kuhn had a little flick of a touch as Privett would take a low shot that was deflected and ended up in the back of the net at the far post to send the Nittany Lions home with a golden goal.
BIG TEN REGULAR SEASON CHAMPIONS TO BE DETERMINED SUNDAY
- As of Oct. 29, Penn State is in a tie for first in the conference with Indiana with 15 points and a 5-2-0 record.
- With a Nittany Lion win over Wisconsin and a Maryland win or draw over Indiana, Penn State can become the stand-alone Big Ten regular season champions for the first time since 2013.
- Penn State could also share the title with a win and an Indiana win, but would have the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament as the Hoosiers hold the head-to-head tie-breaker.
YOU CAN CALL IT A COMEBACK
- Penn State scored three unanswered goals to top No. 7 Maryland, 3-2, in overtime at Jeffrey Field on Tuesday (10/26).
- The Nittany Lions erased a 2-0 deficit to win for the first time since 2019 when they also did so against a ranked Maryland squad at Jeffrey Field in overtime (10/29/19).
REEDY NAMED SENIOR CLASS AWARD FINALIST
- Redshirt senior Pierre Reedy was named a finalist for the 2021 Senior CLASS Award on Thursday (10/28).
- Reedy became the first finalist for Penn State since 2009 when Jason Yeisley was a finalist and the eventual winner.
- To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior or graduate student and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.
- Fans can vote for Reedy here.
SCOUTING WISCONSIN
- Wisconsin is led by 12-year head coach John Trask and is 7-5-3 overall and 3-3-1 in Big Ten play heading into the final game of the regular season. The Badgers are currently on a three-game losing streak in conference play, most recently in a close 1-0 double-overtime loss at Indiana last Sunday (10/24).
- Senior Andrew Akindele (3G, 3A) and junior Inaki Iribarren (4G, 1A) pace the Badgers with nine total points. Iribarren has the team lead with four goals while classmate Aron Saevarsson leads the team with five assists. In all, 10 different Wisconsin players have recorded at least one point this season.
- In net, sophomore Carter Abbott has played a majority of the time with 10 starts and 12 games played. He holds a conference-best 0.65 goals-against average and 0.741 save percentage with 20 saves. Abbott has two shutouts and three combined.
PENN STATE AGAINST WISCONSIN
- Penn State has a 21-12-3 all-time series advantage over Wisconsin, including a four-game win streak over the Badgers dating back to the 2018 season.
- Last season, Penn State topped Wisconsin, 1-0, at Jeffrey Field on a late penalty kick goal by Pierre Reedy in the 87th minute.
- Head coach Jeff Cook is 4-0-0 against Trask and the Badgers in his time in Happy Valley.
NEXT TIME OUT
Penn State awaits to find out seeding and opponent match-up in the Big Ten Tournament after the conclusion of the regular season on Sunday. The Nittany Lions are guaranteed a home game at Jeffrey Field in the quarterfinals on Sunday, Nov. 7 as they will have a top-four seed no matter the results Sunday.