Men’s Soccer to Wrap Up Nonconference Play at St. John’s
The Nittany lions lead the all-time series against the Red Storm, 4-3-1
Penn State at St. John's
3-5-0 | 1-2-0 B1G
2-3-3 | 0-1-0 Big East
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State men’s soccer will visit St. John’s on Tuesday, September 24 to complete their nonconference schedule. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. (ET) at Belson Stadium in Queens, N.Y.
LAST TIME OUT
Penn State defeated Michigan State, 2-1 at Jeffrey Field on Friday evening. Aboubacar Camara scored the equalizer in the 48th minute to notch his second goal as a Nittany Lion. Freshman Malick Daouda captalized on a Matthew Henderson free kick to put the Pink & Black up with four minutes left in the match. Daouda scored his first goal as a Nittany Lion against the Spartans.
Goalkeeper Andrew Cooke collected two saves in the 90 minutes.
2024 PREVIEW
Head Coach Jeff Cook returns at the helm of the Penn State men's soccer program for his seventh season. The two-time Big Ten Coach of the Year will aim to return to the conference tournament finals for the fourth time in his PSU career after earning a share of the Big Ten Regular Season Title in 2023.
Assistant Coaches Clint Long (fifth season), Sean Lawlor (second season) and Oscar Umar (second season) also return to Happy Valley to help Cook make another post season run.
Penn State was picked to finish second in the Big Ten Preseason Coaches Poll behind Indiana. Last season the Nittany Lions finished 10-5-4 after falling to the Hoosiers in the Big Ten Tournament Finals.
The Nittany Lions begin 2024 with five openings from last year's starting XI.
The departure of Pete Mangione up front will be vital. The forward accounted for nearly 25 percent of the Blue & White's scoring last season.
Additionally, the exit of goalkeeper Kris Shakes and defender Femi Awodesu will be felt. The duo were a part of a backline that kept opponents to .79 goals per match and seven shutouts.
Penn State returns 14 letterwinners from last season, including Big Ten All-Freshmen honoree Caden Grabfelder. The sophomore is the team's second leading goal scorer from last season behind Mangione.
The Nittany Lions also welcome 12 newcomers to the squad with six freshmen, five graduate transfers and one junior transfer.
THE B1G THREE
Mohamed Cisset, Matthew Henderson and Caden Grabfelder were all selected as Big Ten Players to Watch this preseason. The trio will look to bring their momentum from last season to 2024.
Cisset returns to Happy Valley after an eventful offseason. The defender was called up to the Malian U23 team and made the 2024 Mali Olympic roster. At the conclusion of the 2023 season, Cisset was landed as No. 74 on Top Drawer Soccer’s Post Season Top 100 Freshmen.
Larkhall, Scotland native, Henderson had a standout sophomore season as a member of a Nittany Lion backline that contributed to seven shutouts and held opponents to .79 goals per match.
Grabfelder comes back for his second season in the Blue and White. The Northampton, Pennsylvania, native had a dominant rookie season as the top returning point scorer on the 2024 roster with three goals and three assists. Grabfelder was ranked No. 14 on Top Drawer Soccer’s Post Season Top 100 Freshmen.
AYE, AYE CAPTAIN
Redshirt-junior Ben Liscum and junior Matthew Henderson were voted as co-captains this preseason by their teammates and coaching staff.
Liscum appeared in all 19 matches last season, dishing out a goal and an assist.
Henderson started all 19 matches last season, registering a goal and five assists. The defender is the team's returning assist leader.
Next Up: St. John's
SCOUTING THE RED STORM
St. John’s is 2-3-2 on the season coming off a 1-0 loss in their Big East opener against Xavier. Before losing to the Musketeers, the Red Storm drew then-No. 6 Marshall, 1-1. St. John’s also tied then-No. 12 UNC, 2-2.
Forward Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau leads the Red Storm offensively with 29 points coming from 14 goals and an assist.
In net for St. John’s is Alec McLachlan who has started 16 matches for the Red Storm and allowed 17 goals. The junior has made 43 saves and has a save percentage of .701.
Dr. David Masur is in his 34th season as St. John’s head coach accumulating an overall record of 397-180-103.
THE SERIES
Penn State leads the all-times series 4-3-2 against St. John’s. With the most recent match coming in 2023, where the Nittany Lions defeated the Red Storm, 2-0. Henderson assisted on both goals last season.
Follow the Nittany Lions
Visit GoPSUSports.com for more information on Penn State men’s soccer. Fans can keep up to date with the Nittany Lion men’s soccer team on X and Instagram @PennStateMSOC, in addition to the team’s Facebook page at /PSUMensSoccer.