UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's soccer team (13-6-1, 6-2-0 Big Ten) captured its first Big Ten tournament title since 2005 after dominating Indiana (14-5-1, 5-3-0 Big Ten), 3-0, on Sunday afternoon at Jeffrey Field.
"What a special day for our program at Penn State," said head coach Jeff Cook. "We're so proud to represent this university and all of our athletic programs. It's a great moment. I'd like to recognize our players and student-athletes and their mentality in the last few weeks of the season, their determination, their quality to achieve what we need is just remarkable. It's a testament to what they've done collectively through the season. I also think it's important to acknowledge Indiana. Coach Yeagley and his staff and players, they're an unbelievable team and a great program. Certainly, their tradition and their success speaks for itself. It's a special feeling. I'm really, really proud of what we did in the regular season, and now winning the Big Ten Tournament Championship puts us in a great position for the NCAA Tournament. So again, very proud day for us."
Indiana started out on the front foot, controlling the majority of possession in the early stages of the game, registering the game's first shot on goal in the second minute of the game.
It wasn't until the 36th minute that the Nittany Lions broke through. Senior Danny Bloyou held up the ball for senior Seth Kuhn and his shot deflected off an Indiana defender and past back-to-back Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year Roman Celentano for the 1-0 lead.
The momentum was in the Nittany Lions' favor, as two minutes later, Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year Peter Mangione had a golden chance to extend the lead, but Celentano made a massive kick save for the Hoosiers and kept the score at 1-0 heading into halftime.
The second half started out fast as Penn State found the insurance goal 10 minutes into the frame. Sophomore Tyger Evans picked up the ball in a one-on-one against a Hoosier defender, was able to dance around him, and slotted the ball into the bottom right-hand corner at the far post for the 2-0 lead.
Penn State's defense was able to shut down Indiana's lethal attack in the second half, limiting the Hoosiers to just two shots. Junior netminder Kris Shakes, along with the backline lead by redshirt senior Brandon Hackenberg, put out any fire that the Indiana offense was causing.
After the strong defensive half, it would be Pierre Reedy in the 85th minute to officially seal the deal for Penn State. Kuhn lofted a ball over the top, Mangione chested it down, and Reedy put the ball into the bottom left-hand corner with his left foot, giving the Nittany Lions a 3-0 lead and putting the preverbal nail in the coffin.
As the clock wound down, the Park Avenue Army along with the elated crowd at Jeffrey Field counted down the seconds as Penn State avenged last season's Big Ten Tournament final loss to Indiana.
𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏 𝐁𝐈𝐆 𝐓𝐄𝐍 𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 🏆
— Penn State Men's Soccer (@PennStateMSOC) November 14, 2021
Penn State wins its first conference tournament championship since 2005 and the first double in program history!#WeAre pic.twitter.com/ojMS4hiGyE
During the awards ceremony, Kuhn was named Offensive Player of the Tournament while Shakes earned Defensive Player of the Tournament nods. Mangione, along with Kuhn and Shakes, were named to the 2021 Big Ten All-Tournament team.
UP NEXT
With a Big Ten regular season and tournament trophy in the cabinet, the Nittany Lions now await their faith in the NCAA tournament. The selection show is on Monday, November 15 at 1 p.m. ET and will be streamed live on NCAA.com.
GAME NOTES
- Senior Seth Kuhn scored his fifth goal of the season in as many games.
- Sophomore Tyger Evans scored his first goal of the season to add insurance in the second half.
- Junior goalkeeper Kris Shakes posted his fourth-straight shutout in net, the longest shutout streak of his career.
- The Nittany Lions won their first Big Ten Tournament title since 2005, and their first "double" in program history, capturing both the regular season and conference tournament trophies.
- Penn State became the first team since Michigan State to shut out Indiana in regulation in a Big Ten Tournament game since 2008.
- Penn State is the first championship team to win each game in the Big Ten Tournament by two or more goals since the format changed from two games to three games. The Blue and White's seven-goal margin in the best in Big Ten Tournament history.
- The Nittany Lions recorded their first win over the Hoosiers since 2015, snaping Indiana's seven-game unbeaten streak.
Game recap written in part by Strategic Communications intern Connor Donohue.