Penn State Shuts Out Michigan State to Advance in Big Ten TournamentPenn State Shuts Out Michigan State to Advance in Big Ten Tournament
Mark Selders

Penn State Shuts Out Michigan State to Advance in Big Ten Tournament

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Box Score

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – With a goal from Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year Peter Mangione just 25 seconds into the match, the Penn State men's soccer team (11-6-1, 6-2-0 Big Ten) set the pace early in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals and went on to shut out the Michigan State Spartans (6-9-2, 2-4-2 Big Ten), 2-0, Sunday evening at Jeffrey Field.
 
"I think today was a great example of a championship, knock-out soccer tournament," said head coach Jeff Cook. "It was a really difficult game. Of course, I couldn't ask for a better start in the opening bit of the match to get in front and then Andrew [Privett's] goal was a first-class special individual moment to get us in front 2-0. Then in the second half, I think the story is really Kris Shakes who had some spectacular play in goal. We know that is the level he is capable of, but I prefer if we didn't have to rely on him as much. But, he played really well and the team was very determined.
 
"I would just like to remark regarding Michigan State – they're a quality team. You can see parody in the Big Ten and when you're trying to advance and knock someone out, it takes every ounce of commitment and I think, psychologically, that was a big test for us tonight. I'm really pleased with the mentality that the guys showed throughout the 90 minutes."
 
Off the opening kickoff, Penn State moved the ball down the field and earned a throw-in nearly in line with the box. Junior Alex Stevenson threw the ball into the box, finding Mangione who flicked it over to junior Liam Butts who turned and took an initial shot at the near post that was saved by Michigan State goalkeeper Hunter Morse.
 
But with the ball still in play, Mangione took a diving header that hit off the near post and went in to give the Nittany Lions the lead less than 30 seconds into the match.

 
The next 15 minutes or so were controlled by the visiting Spartans as they possessed the ball mostly in their offensive zone to keep the Penn State defense on edge.
 
In the 17th minute, Butts forced a Michigan State turnover around midfield and after fending off multiple green jerseys, Butts passed the ball to senior Seth Kuhn who slotted a perfect pass to junior Andrew Privett running up the left side.
 
Privett took the ball into the box and made a move on a defender before taking a great right-footed strike that went right past Morse to make it 2-0.

The Spartans finally got their first shot on goal of the day in the 39th minute but junior goalkeeper Kris Shakes was there for the save.
 
Michigan State came out of the halftime break looking to get on the scoreboard and back into the game, firing off a total of 10 shots in the second 45.
 
Mangione nearly made it 3-0 on a clever set-up in the 60th minute, but his shot went wide right to keep it a two-goal game.
 
The Penn State backline in front of Shakes stood strong to maintain the shutout while Shakes made three saves as the Nittany Lions would go on to advance in the tournament.

 
UP NEXT
The top-seeded Nittany Lions will face the No. 4-seed Michigan Wolverines in the Big Ten Tournament Semifinals on Wednesday, Nov. 10 at Jeffrey Field. Kickoff is slated for noon ET and will broadcast live on Big Ten Network.
 
GAME NOTES

  • Sophomore Peter Mangione scored his seventh goal of the season, setting a new career high and surpassing his previous of six last season as a freshman.
  • Mangione's goal was also the game-winner, his team-leading fourth of the season. Of Mangione's 13 career goals in two seasons, eight are game-winning goals.
  • Junior Liam Butts recorded his first assist of the season on Mangione's goal.
  • Junior goalkeeper Kris Shakes registered his fifth shutout of the season in the win. The five shutouts are a career high for Shakes, surpassing a previous best of four as a freshman in 2019.
  • The shutout in the quarterfinals is the first shutout in the conference tournament since Shakes had one against Wisconsin in the quarterfinals in 2019 (11/10/19; W, 3-0).
  • Penn State advances to its third-straight Big Ten Tournament Semifinal under head coach Jeff Cook, dating back to the 2019 season.
  • The Nittany Lions will face the Wolverines in the conference semifinals, also for the third consecutive season (1-1-0 in previous two appearances).