VILLANOVA, Pa.- No. 20 Penn State lost its midweek match up against Villanova, 0-1. The Nittany Lions fall to 4-3-2 overall on the season so far.
FIRST HALF
The Wildcats got off to an early lead in the 17th minute of the game. Villanova's Anthony Dragisics managed to get one past the Nittany Lions defense.
Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week Tyger Evans was responsible for two Penn State offensive attempts in the first half but just missed the target.
Villanova had the edge going into halftime.
SECOND HALF
Penn State showed patience in its possession in the second half, showing strong control of the ball for most of the period.
The offense created more opportunities throughout the second stretch of the match. Liam Butts and Peter Mangione had several attempts to connect near the net but were just shy of completing the play.
Butts impacted the second half with four shots, putting Villanova's keeper to work.
Kris Shakes had two huge saves, including a diving stop, to keep the deficit at just one goal. A Villanova forward moved the ball in the box and Shakes made a diving save with his foot to clear the ball away from his net late in the game.
The Nittany Lions continued to press but were not able to convert a goal leaving the final score at 1-0, a Wildcat win.
OF NOTE
- Butts was responsible for four of the seven shots from Penn State.
- Shakes made four saves between the pipes.
UP NEXT
The Nittany Lions continue their road stint at Northwestern on Sunday, Oct. 2. The game is set to kick off at 4:00 p.m. eastern and will be available to stream on B1G+.