Second Half Surge Propels No. 25 Men’s Soccer to Fourth Consecutive Win with 3-1 ResultSecond Half Surge Propels No. 25 Men’s Soccer to Fourth Consecutive Win with 3-1 Result

Second Half Surge Propels No. 25 Men’s Soccer to Fourth Consecutive Win with 3-1 Result

Box Score

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- No. 25 Penn State men's soccer earns its fourth-straight win with a 3-1 final score against Howard. The Nittany Lions' three goals in 20 minutes of play sealed a come-from-behind victory at Jeffrey Field.
 
Two players in blue found their first goals of the season with Ben Liscum scoring the first goal off a set piece and Samson Kpardeh finding the back of the net just minutes later. Peter Mangione netted a penalty kick with :04 on the clock to secure the third goal of the game.
 
Penn State moves to 6-1-2 overall, 2-0 Big Ten.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
Howard got off to an early lead, opening the scoring in the third minute. 
 
A red card issued to a Bison defender in the sixth minute allowed Penn State to play up a man for the remainder of the match.
 
Howard owned a 1-0 edge at halftime. 
 
Second Half 
The Nittany Lions offense came out of the break roaring, creating 11 shots and eight corner kicks throughout the second stanza. 
 
Liscum found the equalizer in the 72nd minute, lacing a set piece kick over the wall of Howard defenders to the top left corner of the goal. 
 
A counterattack from the Penn State defensive end sparked the game-winning goal. Kris Shakes found the ball and quickly sent a punt over the halfway line to Kpardeh who juked a defender. With eyes up to the goal, he cut the ball through a defender's leg and past the keeper for the go-ahead point.
 
In the final seconds of the game, Mangione nailed a penalty kick to give Penn State a 3-1 final win.
 
OF NOTE

  • Kpardeh scored his first collegiate goal, playing the most minutes of the season thus far for the freshman.
  • Liscum found his first goal of the season and second of his career. 
  • Mangione's goal marks the fourth of the season and 24th of his career.
  • The Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, Shakes, earned his first career assist. 
  • The Nittany Lions are on a four-game win streak, their longest streak since the 2021 season.

UP NEXT
The Nittany Lions hit the road for a top-25 conference matchup at No. 22 Michigan State on Sunday, Oct. 1. Kickoff in East Lansing is slated for 3 p.m. est.