BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Penn State men’s soccer program pushed No. 2 Indiana to the limit in a rare Friday matinee on the road, but the home team survived the scare with a 2-1 victory. The lone goal was tallied by senior Morgan Marshall, with helpers accredited to seniors Amadou Kone and Vladislav Cherny.
With the result, PSU dropped to 2-5-0 (0-3 B1G) in the 2026 campaign, while Indiana improved to 8-0-2 (2-0-1 B1G).
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST HALF
Indiana controlled the first half of play, allowing just a single shot from the Nittany Lions in the first half. Still, the Nittany Lion defense held strong under constat fire while senior netminder freshman Daniel Peluffo-Wiese cleaned up any ball that slipped through.
The lone goal of the half came on a fluke counterattack for the Hoosiers, which strung together three precise passes to get behind the PSU defensive line and slide the call home into the right-side netting in the 29th minute.
PSU weathered five more shots from the Hoosier attack before. The halftime whistle brought relief from the onslaught.
SECOND HALF
The second half started with an immediate corner kick for the Hoosiers, but after the Nittany Lions dispatched the threat, the visiting squad settled in and were able to stack together a few offensive efforts.
The Blue & White finally put it all together on a counter in the 54th minute. Cherny collected a floating ball at midfield and flicked it ahead to Kone. Kone dished to the 18-yard box for Marshall, who put enough spin on the ball to get the shot to curl into the back left-side netting, leveling the contest at one.
Back-and-forth offensive efforts leaned slightly in the favor of PSU until Indiana’s unselfish play in the PSU box split four Penn State defenders and found the foot of an IU striker at the PK spot who buried the goal to retake the lead.
Senior Noah Andreas committed a tough tackle from behind in the PSU box in the 85th minute, sending Indiana to the dot to put the game on ice. Peluffo-Wiese made the stop though, keeping the Nittany Lions’ hopes alive in the final few minutes.
A shot from a PSU midfielder in the 88th minute took a creative bounce in the Indiana, and immediate Penn State reactions on the field indicted a handball was missed. Coach Dow initiated the challenge formally, sending the head referee to the VAR station. The PSU bench, watching a replay on the team iPads, seemed to identify the guilty party and alerted the players on the field on the likely call to come. However, after a review, the officiating crew determined no foul play, and the Penn State penalty kick was not awarded, souring the Nittany Lions’ chances at a draw.
OF NOTE
- Marshall’s goal marked the first of the season and 12th of his career.
- Kone’s assist marked his eighth point while Cherny’s apple marked his first career-point.
- Peluffo-Wiese tallied five saves including his first stop against a PK in his career.
- Junior Arian Recinos and senior Noah Andreas made their first collegiate starts.
UP NEXT
Penn State men’s soccer has a quick turnaround over the weekend, returning home for a Monday night kickoff against ULCA. The match is slated for 7 p.m. (ET) at Jeffrey Field, and will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network and Fox Sports app.
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.