UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's soccer team and fourth-year head coach Jeff Cook announced its full 2021 schedule Tuesday afternoon. The slate is highlighted by nine home games within the friendly confines of Jeffrey Field and 17 total contests. The 2021 season starts just three and a half months after the end of the 2020 season that was postponed to the spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We are delighted to announce the Fall 2021 Penn State men's soccer schedule," said Cook. "On behalf of our student-athletes and staff, I want to let everyone know how incredibly excited we are to return to nonconference competition and are looking forward to another highly competitive Big Ten season.
"I believe that we have put together a schedule that will be a firm test for our team game in and game out. Each match will be challenging and provide an opportunity for our student-athletes to test themselves against some of the most outstanding programs in Division I college soccer. We can't wait to get started with preseason in August!"
Penn State officially opens the 2021 season with two home games that opening weekend, first against George Mason on Thursday, Aug. 26 and then against Syracuse on Sunday, Aug. 29.
The Nittany Lions will hit the road for the first time in 2021 on Friday, Sept. 3 with a trip to West Virginia.
Penn State then hosts American University on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 6 before going back on the road for a match-up with UPenn on Friday, Sept. 10 in Philadelphia.
The Blue & White will then have a three-game homestand at Jeffrey Field as they reach the halfway mark of the season. Steel-City foe Pittsburgh, a 2020 NCAA College Cup team who finished the season ranked third, comes to town on Monday, Sept. 13.
The Big Ten Conference slate starts with a home game against Northwestern on Friday, Sept. 17, which will be the Ninth Annual Mack Brady Match. Penn State's homestand concludes on Tuesday, Sept. 21 against Villanova.
Following three-straight games at home, Penn State will play just as many games on the road. The Nittany Lions will travel to Princeton to play another Ivy League opponent this season on Saturday, Sept. 25 before playing two-straight league games at Michigan State and Rutgers on Friday, Oct. 1 and Tuesday, Oct. 5, respectively.
Penn State returns to Jeffrey Field to host Michigan on Sunday, Oct. 10 before traveling to Akron on Wednesday, Oct. 13.
The Nittany Lions will look to avenge their Big Ten Tournament Championship draw against Indiana on Sunday, Oct. 17 when the Hoosiers come to Happy Valley.
The regular season concludes with three final Big Ten games: at Ohio State on Friday, Oct. 22, the home finale on Tuesday, Oct. 26 against Maryland, and at Wisconsin on Sunday, Oct. 31.
The 2021 Big Ten Tournament will start with the quarterfinals on Sunday, Nov. 7. More information and details, such as location, will be announced at a later date.
Prior to the start of the regular season, Penn State will host two exhibition games at Jeffrey Field. The first will be against Georgetown on Saturday, Aug. 14 before Bucknell comes up the road during preseason on Friday, Aug. 20.
Kickoff times will be announced at a later date as all times and dates are subject to change with the TV schedule to come.
Penn State men's soccer does not charge for tickets or parking during the regular season at Jeffrey Field.
To stay up-to-date with Penn State men's soccer, follow the team on Twitter and Instagram, @PennStateMSOC, and 'like' the team on Facebook.
