The Penn State men’s soccer game against Indiana on Friday night had everything one could ask for. Controversy, intrigue, action and even a fight at the end. The one thing it lacked, however, was a win for Penn State.

Penn State’s first Big 10 match was a back and forth affair that provided five goals and 27 shots. Indiana scored first in the ninth minute. Redshirt junior goalie Warren Gross seemed to have made the save, but the ball trickled over his fingers and into the net. Penn State was able to tie the game up before halftime when senior Matheus Braga scored a beautiful goal off of an  assist by Corey Hertzog, junior.

Both teams continued their physical, aggressive play in the second half. The Nittany Lions would be first to capitalize in the 70th minute. A nice cross found Hertzog, who headed it home for a 2-1 lead. The goal is Hertzog’s eighth of the season. Just eight minutes later, though, Indiana was able to take advantage of some poor defending to tie the game up at 2-2.

The game would remain tied until the final minute of play. With 29 seconds left, a great cross led to a goal for Hertzog. The jubilation was short-lived, however, because the linesman had signaled offsides. This call created some controversy, and in the midst of the confusion, Indiana was able to restart the ball and charge down the field. With 11 seconds remaining, the Hoosiers scored to win the game, 3-2.

After the final whistle, a shoving match broke out between several athletes. The benches were cleared, but the players were quickly restrained. The fight was indicative of how hard both teams played on Friday night.

With the loss, Penn State falls to 5-2 overall and 0-1 in the Big 10. The Nittany Lions will try to regroup with a midweek home game, followed by their first Big 10 road trip of the season.

Upcoming schedule:

Wednesday: vs. Saint Francis (PA), 7 p.m.
Sunday: at Michigan State, 1 p.m.