Sophomore Duo Grabfelder and Madore Guide Nittany Lions to 2-2 DrawSophomore Duo Grabfelder and Madore Guide Nittany Lions to 2-2 Draw

Sophomore Duo Grabfelder and Madore Guide Nittany Lions to 2-2 Draw

Men’s soccer ties UCLA at home 2-2 in com-from-behind fashion

Box Score

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Penn State men’s soccer earned a gritty, comeback result at home against UCLA. After going down 2-0, the Nittany Lions surged at the end of the second stanza to tie the score at 2-2 and come away with one point. A pair of unassisted goals from sophomores Caden Grabfelder and Ben Madore just three minutes apart, gave new life to PSU in the late minutes of the second half.

FIRST HALF

UCLA got on the scoreboard first in the 13th minute of the match. A lofty cross of the foot of Pablo Greenlee found its way to the head of Jose Contell. His header redirection just scooted past Andrew Cooke between the pipes for the first goal of the game. Despite several threatening chances for the Nittany Lions throughout the half and three shots, they could not convert leaving the score with the Bruins ahead by one at the halftime break.

SECOND HALF

The Bruins put another in the back of the net in the 53rd minute to go up by two scores on the road. Artem Vovk was responsible for the UCLA point.

The Nittany Lions produced a burst of energy beginning in the under 15-minute mark of the match. A pair of unassisted goals in back-to-back fashion evened the score at Jeffrey Field with just over 10 to play. Grabfelder was the first PSU player to draw blood on an unassisted goal in the 75th minute. The sophomore launched the ball from outside the box to the top corner of the net to pull within one. Just three minutes later, Madore’s pressure in the box led to his first goal of the season and a tie score.

Neither team managed to find the back of the net for the remainder of the game leaving the final score a 2-2 draw.

MATCH NOTES

  • Both of the Nittany Lions’ goals were unassisted by a pair of sophomores.
  • Grabfelder’s goal was his fourth of the season and seventh of his career.
  • Madore’s goal was the first of his career.
  • This was the Nittany Lions’ second straight tie score against a Big Ten opponent, splitting points with Maryland earlier this week.

UP NEXT

The Nittany Lions return to Jeffrey Field on Monday, Oct. 7 to host Rutgers in a nationally televised match up on the Big Ten Network. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.