PITTSBURGH, Pa.- Penn State men's soccer finishes tough road battle with a 1-1 draw to No. 5 Pittsburgh. Van Danielson's late goal in the first half surged the team through the rest of the game but the Panthers managed a goal of their own to knot the score. The Nittany Lions begin the season 0-1-1.
"I couldn't be prouder of our team and the way they competed tonight against an outstanding team," said head coach Jeff Cook. "We were pleased to take the lead near the end of the first half and of course we're very disappointed not to come away with the win. However, I think Pitt will prove to be one of the best teams in the country throughout the course of the season and we can take a lot of credit in our performance and the result. It's a very promising start and we can't wait to get to Jeffrey Field for Sunday's game."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
First whistle blew at golden hour at Ambrose Urbanic Stadium and the match was underway. Both teams maintaining equal possession throughout the early minutes.
An offensive spark from Atem Kato off a pass from Sean Bettenhausen in the wing gave the Nittany Lions an early chance but the header was just out of reach.
Alex Stevenson played a major role in the knotted score throughout the first 40 minutes, contributing to nearly six defensive stops after a Panthers offensive surge.
A shot off the foot of Peter Mangione found its way just wide of the net to threaten the equal score.
Kris Shakes made a diving save over his shoulder to hold Pittsburgh scoreless and Danielson found the back of the net off the counter. A pass from Bettenhausen led Danielson up the field and the Lion was too fast to catch and sent the ball passed the Panthers' keeper to the back of the net to make the score 1-0 with 1:30 left to play in the half.
Second half
An offensive spark from Liam Butts early on in the second half showed energy from the guys in blue. His defensive steal turned counterattack resulted in a shot just wide of the net.
Shakes made three tremendous saves on Pittsburgh corner kicks to maintain the Penn State lead throughout the early parts of the second period.
A set piece opportunity for the Nittany Lions came up just shy of a goal. Matthew Henderson curled the ball to Femi Awodesu whose header grazed the pipe to go wide.
The Panthers managed to score an equalizer in the 79th minute to leave the final score at a 1-1 draw.
OF NOTE
- Danielson scored his fifth goal of his career and first of the season.
- Freddie Bell, Caden Grabfelder, Samson Kpardeh and Mohamed Cisset made their collegiate debuts, Bell and Grabfelder their first starts at the college level.
- This is the first draw in the series since 1976.
UP NEXT
The Nittany Lions take on Le Moyne on Sunday, Aug. 27 in their regular season home opener. The game will be streamed on B1G+.