UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Penn State men's soccer secures its first win of the season with a 4-0 result against Le Moyne. Goals from four different players propelled the Nittany Lions to a dominant victory. Penn State improves to a 1-0-1 record after the first game in its five-game home stand.
Peter Mangione, Caden Grabfelder, Atem Kato and Van Danielson each found the back of the net today with Grabfelder and Kato scoring their first goals wearing the blue and white.
"Today was a very professional victory," said head coach Jeff Cook. "I thought our players handled the challenge of today's game very well. We scored goals at important moments in the match and were able to earn a shutout with some good defensive performances. There were contributions from the entire squad which was really pleasing and that will help us get ready for Syracuse on Friday night."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
Penn State maintained possession throughout the opening minutes of the match with the Dolphins applying steady pressure and holding the Nittany Lions offense. Mangione owns the first goal scored on Jeffrey Field this season after curling the ball past the Dolphins' keeper on a penalty kick.
Just over 10 minutes later, a connection between Liam Butts to Grabfelder put Penn State up by two with 20 minutes remaining in the first half. Butts found Grabfelder at the top of the box who snuck the ball into the top left corner of the net.
Alex Stevenson and Femi Awodesu had major defensive contributions to keep Le Moyne out of reach of a goal throughout the first half.
Second Half
Three minutes after the second whistle blew, a three-person attack drew the Penn State win margin to three goals. Sean Bettenhausen led Butts down the left side of the field who sent the ball in front of the goal to a diving Kato in bang-bang fashion.
Danielson is no stranger to the back of the net, finding his second of the year in just two games off a service from freshman Samson Kpardah in the 64th minute.
The Nittany Lions kept the Dolphins out of their goal for the remainder of the game to make the final score 4-0.
Cook also added, "On behalf the entire men's soccer program we want to thank the fans for coming out to Jeffrey Field, they created a fantastic environment. With two wins on the day for Penn State soccer, it's a great day to be a Nittany Lion!"
OF NOTE
- Mangione scored his first goal of the season and 22nd of his career.
- Danielson earned a goal in his second consecutive game.
- Grabfelder and Kato score their first goals as Nittany Lions, Grabfelder earning the first of his collegiate career.
- Kris Shakes earned a clean sheet between the pipes and his 16th career shutout.
- The Penn State defense held Le Moyne to no corner kicks until late in the second stanza.
- Butts earned two assists on the day.
- Sebastian Vainstein, Morgan Marshall and Kaleb Alva saw their first collegiate minutes.
UP NEXT
The Nittany Lions host Syracuse, the defending National Champions, on Friday September 1 at 6 p.m. in a televised match up on Big Ten Network.