Penn State men’s soccer (4-3-3) tied 2-2 with Northwestern (1-6-3) in Illinois Sunday afternoon after both teams scored a goal in each half.

The Nittany Lions scored first with Ben Liscum’s first career goal, but Northwestern struck back with an equalizer in the first half.

A Peter Mangione goal at the start of the second half brought Penn State back into the lead, but the Wildcats quickly evened the score again.

How It Happened

Northwestern took the first shot of the game at the five-minute mark but sent the ball straight into the hands of Kris Shakes.

Liam Butts took Penn State’s first shot in the 20th minute. Although his shot went too far wide, he made it clear that Penn State’s offense was set up to threaten Northwestern.

In the 24th minute, Butts brought the ball down the left sideline, sending it to Seth Kuhn, who was alongside the box.

Both Kuhn and Butts took the assist, passing to Ben Liscum, who was at the six and launched a goal into the top left of the net. The Nittany Lions went up 1-0, and Liscum recorded his first career goal.

Northwestern’s equalizer came in the 27th minute when Justin Weiss evaded a group of Nittany Lion defenders at center goal. Weiss was set up for a chip over Penn State defenders and landed the shot into the top corner of the net. Shakes dove for the save but was just short.

Liscum left the field in the 33rd minute after going down with a head injury. The midfielder was replaced by Van Danielson and did not start in the second half. Liscum was eventually cleared for play and returned in the 59th minute.

Peter Mangione brought Penn State’s lead back at the top of the second half. Butts made the assist in the 49th minute of the match and allowed Mangione to land the shot at the goal’s lower left corner. Northwestern’s keeper Christian Garner dove and could not make the save, giving Penn State a 2-1 score advantage.

The Wildcats matched Penn State with another equalizer in the 53rd minute. Ethan Dudley chipped the ball over the Nittany Lion defense and scored a second goal for Northwestern. Shakes went for the dive but the ball slipped past his glove.

In the 15 minutes following Northwestern’s goal, Olu Ogunwale and Kuhn took would-be game-winning shots, but were ultimately shy of the target. Mangione was sent a long ball from Alex Stevenson in the 76th minute and headed it towards the goal, but was also not on target. Penn State made plays, but the team could not finish what it set up.

By the end of the game, Penn State took 10 shots to Northwestern’s seven, but neither team made an extra goal to take the win — leaving the final score at 2-2 to end the match.

Takeaways

• Liam Butts was back in the starting lineup and did what he does best, making insane offensive plays. Although he has been playing in the past few games, this was Butts’ first start since his injury earlier in September. He is a huge player in Penn State’s attack and was key in setting up Ben Liscum for the first goal of the game.
• Northwestern’s attack held up well against Penn State, coming almost out of nowhere. This could potentially be a concern for the Nittany Lions’ defense, seeing that the Wildcats oftentimes pushed through the back line that couldn’t settle the ball and clear the box.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will return home to Jeffrey Field and face Michigan State at 7 p.m. on Friday, October 7.