UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – After earning the Big Ten Conference's automatic bid to the 2021 NCAA Tournament as the Big Ten Tournament Champions, the Penn State men's soccer team will enter the big dance as the No. 12 overall seed.
With the national seed, the Nittany Lions get a first-round bye and will host a second-round home game at Jeffrey Field on Sunday, Nov. 21 against either Hofstra or Lipscomb.
𝓛𝓔𝓣'𝓢 𝓓𝓐𝓝𝓒𝓔 🕺
— Penn State Men's Soccer (@PennStateMSOC) November 15, 2021
The Nittany Lions earn the No. 12 seed in the NCAA Tournament and will host either Hofstra or Lipscomb in the second round at Jeffrey Field on Sunday, Nov. 21.#WeAre pic.twitter.com/jxXO2XouZK
Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. ET and will stream live on B1G+ for free. Tickets will go on pre-sale at the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office starting Wednesday, Nov. 17 through Friday, Nov. 19 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for students, and $3 for youth or groups of 20 or more. Day-of tickets can be purcashed at both gates at Jeffrey Field on Sunday, but will be cash or check only.
Penn State makes its 35th overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament and the third-straight appearance under head coach Jeff Cook. It marks the first time the Nittany Lions have made three consecutive appearances in the national tournament since 1993-95.
The No. 12 seed is also the second national seed in the Jeff Cook era after earning the No. 15 seed in 2019. It's the highest seed for the Nittany Lions since being the No. 7 seed in 2009.
Seven of Penn State's 2021 opponents also received bids in the NCAA Tournament, including Big Ten foes Indiana, who earned the No. 15 seed, and Maryland. Other opponents include No. 5-seed Pittsburgh, Akron, Princeton, Villanova and West Virginia.
See the full 2021 NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament bracket here.