Men's Soccer Kicks of 2025 at Home Against Stetson
Penn State takes in Stetson in the team's 2025 season opener
Penn State vs. Stetson
2024 | 5-9-2 | 2-6-2 B1G
2024 | 5-6-6 | 3-0-4 ASUN
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State men's soccer kicks off its 115th season and the eighth season of the Jeff Cook era on Thursday, August 20, as the Nittany Lions take the pitch against Stetson for the fourth ever contest between the two foes. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. on B1G+.
Follow the Action
For fans of the Nittany Lions unable to attend the season opener, the Nittany Lions’ nonconference action will stream live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+ and the B1G+ app. Isaac Hallock and Jeremy Rose will call the action live from the Jeffrey Field press box. Click the link here to be redirected to the live stream of the broadcast and sign in with credentials for access. Live stats provided by the Pennsylvania State University and StatBroadcast are available here.
KICKIN’ IT
Penn State men's soccer looks to return to the Big Ten Tournament this year after a falter in the 2024 season, and earn an NCAA Tournament bid for the first time since the 2021 season. The journey to the post season starts Thursday, August 21 when the team hosts Stetson at Jeffrey Field in the 2025 opener.
Malick Daouda, Caden Grabfelder, and Kai Phillip were each named Big Ten Players to Watch in the preseason. Daouda returns to the pitch this year after an All-Big Ten Freshman campaign in 2024. Grabfelder is the Nittany Lions top returning scorer and is expected to have a big season on the score sheet. Phillip comes to Happy Valley after three seasons with the University of Evansville, where the forward totaled 15 goals, including five game-winners and five assists. He guided his team to a 2024 NCAA Tournament appearance after winning the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament and was selected as the tournament MVP. In 2023, he was honored by the United Soccer Coaches with All-Region honors.
OPEN SEASON
The Blue & White opens the season at home for the first time since 2022 and is looking to break a streak of two ties in season openers at Jeffrey Field. The last time PSU grabbed a victory at Jeffrey Field to kick of the season came in the 2015 when Pnn State bested San Francisco, 1-0.
WHAT WE GOT BACK
Penn State returns 75% of its goal scoring from last year, including two of its top three scorers in junor Caden Grabfelder and senior Matthew Hederson. The Blue & White also welcomes back 73% of its overall scoring, with returning assist leader Christian Dionne tallying four in the last campaign.
Scouting Stetson
Throw Your Hatters in the Ring
Under the command of sixth-season head coach Emmett Rutkowski, Stetson has posted a 27-28-21 record. The Hatters finished tied for first in the Atlantic Sun conference last season, accumulating 13 points on the back of three wins and four draws and earning a first round bye in the 2024 ASUN Tournament. Returning midfielder Andres Mata was named to the 2025 Preseason All-ASUN Team after a 2024 campaign with five goals and 11 ponts, tied for the most on the team. Still, the Hatters are still looking to replace the offensive prduction of 2024 ASUN Player of the Year, Charles Ahl. Defensively, Stetson will bring back the 2024 ASUN Goalkeeper of the Year in Nicolo Radaelli. Radaelli earned three shutouts last year, and clocked 49 saves in 15 games.
STORY OF THE SERIES
Only having faced three times in program history, Penn State boasts a 2-1 lead in the all-time series against Stetson. Most recently facing off in the 2019 campaign, the Nittany Lions left the Sunshine State with a 2-0 victory where then-freshman netminder Kris Shakes posted his first career shutout. Teammates Daniel Gonzalez and Kyle Perno were the scoring pair for the Blue and White in that competition. Shakes went on to earn All-Big Ten Freshman Team honors in the 2019 season.
The single blemish in the all-time series came in the teams' first-ever meeting in 2011 at a nuetral site game in Columbus, Ohio. The Hatters claimed a 3-2 win in the Nittany Lions first game away from home that 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 /PennStateMensSoccer.