Penn State Men’s Soccer Receives First Round Bye In NCAA Tournament, Will Host Round Of 32
Penn State men’s soccer will head to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014. The Nittany Lions earned the No. 15 seed, and will sit out of the first round. They will host the second round at Jeffrey Field against the winner of Providence and NJIT. Time and date of that match is to be determined.
Neither team will be an easy task, as the Friars are coming off of a 3-1 loss to No. 3 Georgetown in the Big East tournament. NJIT, meanwhile, qualifies as the Atlantic Sun conference champion. This will be the first tournament appearance for the Highlanders.
It appears that Penn State could travel to face No. 2 Clemson in the Round of 16, should both teams win their opening fixtures. The road won’t get any easier for the inexperienced Nitany Lions, who will have to go through the likes of Stanford and Georgetown en route to a College Cup appearance. If they face Stanford, the Nittany Lions will get a chance to avenge the 5-0 loss they suffered to the Cardinal.
Other qualifiers from the Big Ten include No. 5 Indiana, No. 13 Michigan, and Maryland.
The Nittany Lions (12-3-3) have had a turnaround year under head coach Jeff Cook. Ranked sixth of nine in the Big Ten preseason poll, Penn State finished second in the regular season, and entered the United Soccer Coaches poll for the first time since 2015.
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