Men’s Soccer to Face Washington on Friday
Friday's match up will be live streamed on Big Ten Plus
Penn State at Washington
5-6-2 | 2-3-2 B1G
4-4-5 | 1-3-3 Big Ten
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State Men’s Soccer will travel to the West Coast this Friday, October 18 to take on the Washington Huskies. The match will be streamed on B1G+ at 10 p.m. (ET).
LAST TIME OUT
Penn State dropped their first match against Indiana on Friday evening, after going undefeated for five matches. The Nittany Lions last 2-0 against the Hoosiers.
The Blue & White enters Friday’s match up 5-6-2 and 2-3-2 in the Big Ten. Penn State is currently tied for sixth in the conference with eight points with UCLA.
2024 SEASON 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: Indiana
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
Washington enters Friday’s match 4-4-5 on the season. In their last three games, the Huskies have earned ties against both Wisconsin and Indiana and fell 2-0 against ranked Ohio State and ranked Maryland. Charlie Kosakoff leads the Huskies’ offense with three goals and four assists for a total of ten points. Following close behind him is Peter Kingston with three goals and two assists. Washington has yet to lose a match at home this season.
Huskies goalkeeper Jadon Bowton has made a total of 30 saves this season and maintains a save percentage of .698.
Head coach Jamie Clark has been with the program for 12 seasons. He has led the Huskies to an overall record of 161-54-25 as well as earning three Pac-12 titles and 10 trips to the NCAA Tournament.
THE SERIES
Penn State and Washington have only faced off once before on September 8, 1996. The Huskies defeated the Nittany Lions, 2-0.
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.