UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's soccer team, under fourth-year head coach Jeff Cook, wraps up a three-game road trip with a midweek matchup at No. 24 Rutgers on Tuesday, Oct. 5 in Piscataway, N.J. The battle for three conference points at Yurcak Field will broadcast live on Big Ten Network starting at 6 p.m. with Chris Vosters (pxp) and Patrick Doody (analyst) on the call.
GAME INFORMATION
- Date: Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021 | Time: 6 p.m. ET
- Location: Piscataway, N.J. | Venue: Yurcak Field
- Live Stats: scarletknights.com | Watch: Big Ten Network
LAST TIME OUT
- With 20 shots in the second half alone, it was only a matter of time until Penn State found the back of the net in the 87th minute to win, 1-0, over Michigan State Friday evening at DeMartin Stadium.
- It was a fast paced first half as both teams looked to establish control of the match.
- The Spartans would go to the break with a 6-3 advantage in total shots, but overall the first half was very evenly matched.
- Penn State came out guns blazing in the second half, immediately establishing pace of play and offensive control.
- In a nearly five-minute span starting in the 50th minute, the Nittany Lions ripped off four shots right in the six off corner kicks, but the Michigan State defense and goalkeeper Hunter Morse stood strong at the goal line to keep the ball out of the back of the net.
- The match took a turn in the 57th minute as the Spartans' Jack Zugay was assessed a straight red card for a spikes-up sliding tackle on sophomore Peter Mangione and the Nittany Lions would go to a man-up advantage for the remainder of the game.
- From there, Penn State just dominated on the offensive end, firing off a total of 20 shots in the second half to Michigan State's one. It was only a matter of time that one would find the back of the net after Morse made nine saves in the second half to keep his team in the game.
- Finally in the 87th minute, sophomore Tyger Evans took an initial shot from the left of the six that was saved, but Morse couldn't hold on to the ball and senior Danny Bloyou came in for the rebound score to give the Nittany Lions the 1-0 lead with about three minutes to play.
SENIOR CLASS AWARD CANDIDATES
- Redshirt seniors Brandon Hackenberg and Pierre Reedy and senior Danny Bloyou were all announced as top-30 candidates for the 2021 Senior CLASS Award® on Thursday (9/30).
- 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.
- An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award® focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
- Hackenberg is a two-time candidate, also a top-30 candidate in 2020-21, while Reedy and Bloyou are first-time candidates.
- Penn State is one of four schools with multiple candidates, while its three candidates are the most of any school.
PENN STATE IN THE BIG TEN
- Penn State is now 4-0-0 in Big Ten openers in the Jeff Cook era (2018-pres.) after defeating Northwestern at Jeffrey Field in the 2021 opener (9/17).
- 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.
NATIONAL TV APPEARANCES
- Penn State made its debut on national television when it hosted then-No. 15 Pitt live on FS1 (9/13).
- The Nittany Lions also have four conference games on the Big Ten Network in the month of October, including three crucial games at Jeffrey Field.
NEXT TIME OUT
Penn State returns to the friendly confines of Jeffrey Field to host Michigan on Sunday, Oct. 10 live on Big Ten Network. Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. with Dean Linke (pxp) and Tim Lenahan (analyst) on the call.