Penn State men’s soccer (2-0) earned a hard-fought 2-1 victory on the road against Rutgers (1-1) Tuesday afternoon.

Red-hot freshman Peter Mangione scored the eventual game-winner for the second straight time this season, finding the back of the net in the 35th minute off a rebound of teammate Dax Hoffman’s shot.

How It Happened

The Nittany Lions struck early in Piscataway in what was yet another dominant start for Jeff Cook’s squad. Junior transfer Danny Bloyou notched the first goal of his Penn State career in the eighth minute after collecting a pass from midfielder Seth Kuhn and firing it at the top right corner of Oren Asher’s net.

Bloyou kept his foot on the gas pedal and served up another shot on goal in the 16th minute. This time, however, Asher successfully came up with the save and kept the 1-0 Penn State advantage in tact.

Rutgers was rewarded a penalty kick around the half-hour mark following a foul on Kuhn. Luckily for the Scarlet Knights, Jackson Temple’s shot managed to sneak its way past goalkeeper and redshirt freshman Owen Elliot — who started today’s game in place of sophomore Kris Shakes. But Penn State didn’t waste any time coming up with a response, and capitalized on yet another scoring opportunity less than three minutes later.

Starting midfielder Mangione earned his second goal of the campaign off a rebound on Dax Hoffman’s shot, breaking the 1-1 tie and putting Penn State back in the driver’s seat.

The Nittany Lion defense then warded off a Rutgers attack in the ensuing minutes — thanks to back-to-back saves by Elliot — and entered halftime with a 2-1 advantage.

Penn State dominated the start of the second period and applied pressure on Asher with three quick shots on goal from Liam Butts, Brandon Hackenberg, and Adam Laundree. Although unable to capitalize on any of the shots, the Nittany Lions certainly set the tone for the remainder of the game.

Rutgers defender Cole Sotack was given a red card at the 49:52 mark, paving the way for the Nittany Lions to close out the match and continue to mount pressure on their opponents with a man advantage.

Bloyou and Callum Pritchatt made things interesting again at the 76th minute with back-to-back shots, but both were blocked by the Scarlet Knights.

Penn State’s back line didn’t let up and were able to see out the Scarlet Knights. Jeff Cook’s team proved once again that its able to play with composure in crunch time, and improves to 2-0 before the schedule begins to let up.

Player of the Match

Peter Mangione | Freshman| Midfielder

Mangione is emerging as a young star for the Nittany Lions, as he notched the second goal of his collegiate career in the 35th minute and broke the 1-1 tie against Rutgers. This is the second straight game the freshman midfielder scored the eventual game-winner.

What’s Next

Penn State hosts Michigan State on Saturday, February 27 at Holuba Hall. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. and the game will be streamed on BTN+.