MATCH DAY: Penn State MSOC at Northwestern

KICKOFF

The Nittany Lions are aiming for their first result in conference play when the team visits the Michigan Wolverines at 7 p.m. at the U-M Soccer Stadium on Friday night. The Nittany Lions are still chasing their first conference win under first-year head coach Rob Dow.

Penn State earned its first Big Ten point last week, playing Michigan to a draw last Friday, moving the overall record to 2-7-1 and its conference record to 0-5-1.

B1G THINGS

The Nittany Lions had three student-athletes tabbed as Big Ten Players to Watch. The group includes Daniel Peluffo-Wiese, Noah Förster, and Joe Buckley. 

Förster made his impact immediate, dishing an assist on Penn State’s first goal under Coach Dow and earning his first career start in game two. 

Daniel Peluffo-Weise has totaled 31 saves through ten contests, averaging 3.10 per game.

OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN

Graduate Student Grant McIntosh and sophomore Joe Sheridan will serve as the captainship for Penn State in the 2026 season.

Sheridan was one of three PSU returners from last year’s squad, while McIntosh brings four years of college soccer experience to Happy Valley from Duquesne and Akron.

WILDCAT WATCH

Northwestern is led by Russell Payne, who is in his sixth season with the program and his 17th season as a coach. 

Payne served as head coach at Army West Point before joining Northwestern beginning in the 2021 season. 

Through six years with Payne at the helm, the Wolverines have compiled a 41-40-16 (.505) overall record.

Heading into Friday’s contest, Northwestern has a 5-5-1 record overall. 

The Wildcats are tied for seventh in the conference race, one spot and one point out of the conference tournament if the race were to end today.

In their most recent matchup, Northwestern lost a tightly contested match, 2-1, against the reigning national champions in Washington. 

One of the more physical teams in conference, Northwestern leads the Big Ten in red and yellow cards.

Goalkeeper Dominic Pereira makes an average of 3.44 saves per game, the second most in the Big Ten. His save total of 31 is the fourth-most in the conference.

Peter Riesz is a field player to keep an eye on. The midfielder hasa the conferences sith best shot accuracy at 48 percent, and the sixth-most shots on goal per game with 1.09.

STORY OF THE SERIES

This game marks the 45th meeting between the Nittany Lions and the Wildcats.

Penn State leads the all-time series over Northwestern with a record of 29-9-6. 

The 2025 matchup between the two Big Ten foes ended in a 2-2 draw, with then-freshman Joe Sheridan tallying an assist.

The Nittany Lions hold a 2-1-2 record over the Wildcats in the last five meetings.