Penn State men’s soccer (8-6-1) fell 2-1 to Ohio State (5-8-1) Friday night in Columbus, resulting in the Nittany Lion’s third consecutive loss.

The Buckeyes took an early lead with two goals in the first 15 minutes that Penn State was not able to meet back with until the second half. Andrew Privett prevented a shutout against the Nittany Lions in the 66th minute.

How It Happened

The Nittany Lions started working on their attack right out of the gates and pressed hard on Ohio State’s defensive line.

Responding to Penn State’s immediate aggression at the start of the match, the Buckeyes landed a corner kick by Parker Grinstead, who set the ball nicely near the far post where Laurence Wootton was ready to tap the ball in past goalie Kris Shakes. The Buckeyes took the lead 1-0 in the sixth minute of play.

A free-kick was given to the Buckeyes in the 16th minute, taken by Wootton. His ball went into the goal by Devyn Etling going just past Shakes’ glove, bringing Ohio State up 2-0.

The Nittany Lions found themselves taking lots of corners in the first half, all of which they tried to convert to goals, but Buckeye keeper Noah Lawrence strongly held down the goal.

At the start of the second half, Shakes had an amazing save from Channing Chasten’s rocket shot, denying Ohio State another goal and starting Penn State on its attack.

Despite a heavy push offensively from Penn State, the Buckeyes’ defense fizzled most of its attempts at shots on goal. As the half progressed, Penn State did a better job holding down its defense, and Ohio State’s play began to disorganize.

In the 66th minute, Seth Kuhn made a great run down center field and had a beautiful shot from just outside the goal box that Lawrence just barely punched away from goal, resulting in a corner kick for Penn State.

Kuhn took the corner and delivered the ball to Andrew Privett who was able to defeat Lawrence at goal. The Nittany Lions took their first goal of the match at the top of the 66th minute, making the score 2-1.

Penn State was not able to find the equalizer in the remainder of the half, resulting in their third loss in a row.

Player Of The Match

Kris Shakes | Keeper

Despite the two early Buckeye goals, Shakes did an outstanding job saving many shots coming from Ohio State. He had three beautiful saves in the second half and showed how Shakes’ quick reflexes could easily keep up with a speedy Ohio State offense.

The Buckeyes’ attack steadily played out and around Penn State’s backline, and Shakes played excellently as the last line of defense.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will head home to Happy Valley to match up against Maryland on Tuesday, October 26th for their last home game of the regular season. Kickoff is at 8 p.m., and the game will be streamed on BTN.