Penn State men’s soccer (1-2) fell to No. 3 Pitt (3-0) Friday night in a Keystone State clash.

The Nittany Lions maintained a high press the whole game, not giving Pitt much space in the attacking third. Penn State came to a lead at the end of the first half through transfer Christian Dionne. The Panthers dominated possession though, and a penalty kick and open post allowed them to squeeze two goals past the Blue and White to continue its win streak in the Keystone clash since 2019.

How It Happened

Penn State began in possession but soon was trapped deep by Pitt, who got off an early shot saved by goalie Andrew Cooke. Penn State went on the counterattack but Pitt soon stifled the attack and both teams slowed down play, sharing possession.

Chase Oliver had the first big chance in the 10th minute, running onto a long ball on the sideline and breaking past into the box. Oliver attempted a shot but it was deflected across the goal by a defender and Pitt goalie Cabral Carter easily scooped it up.

Pitt wasted no time breaking into Penn State’s box after the save, sliding between the defense and getting off a strong shot that was hit straight at Cooke to grab. The Panthers started making themselves at home in Penn State’s half, dominating possession but struggling to truly break into the attacking third.

In the 16th minute, Pitt sent a long ball down the right side and into to the top of the box but Caden Grabfedler came up with a strong tackle for Penn State to refuse the shot. The Panthers won a corner kick, sending it dangerously right in front of Cooke who made a quick double save to keep Penn State in the game.

Grabfelder continued to make strong tackles in midfield, sliding to win the ball back and send it into the Nittany Lions’ attacking third. They won a corner kick in the 20th minute, with Matthew Henderson stepping up to take the kick. He curled it towards the far post but Carter jumped above everyone to grab the ball and send it down to Penn State’s box.

Pitt quickly won a corner kick of its own, sending it high for Cooke to push over the bar for another kick. Its second corner was called for offsides but the corner kicks continued to rack up, with Pitt again taking control of the game and only giving the Nittany Lions the ball through Cooke’s saves.

With only minutes left in the half, Penn State won a dangerous free kick right outside of Pitt’s box. Henderson’s kick went flying past Carter with Sam Ovesen sending it to the penalty spot. Christian Dionne had all the space he needed and ran up to it, blasting it right into the left corner to put Penn State up 1-0 in the 38th.

Not bad for your first Nittany Lion goal pic.twitter.com/TMIiexGfOf

— Penn State Men’s Soccer (@PennStateMSOC) August 30, 2024

The Panthers won a dangerous free kick of their own not long after, skimming just over the corner bar. They had threatening moments to end the half, sending a through ball into the box but Cooke came running out, sliding to grab the ball without hesitation to maintain Penn State’s 1-0 lead going into halftime.

The Nittany Lions returned to the field and Sean Bettenhausen got off a quick shot, running onto a loose ball but hitting it just not strong enough on the side of his foot.

Oliver had a huge opportunity in the 57th minute, finding himself in great position to intercept a pass and break toward net. The attacker found himself outnumbered, pulling the ball back around a first defender but his shot was blocked and the Panthers were able to clear.

The Panthers broke into the box and Jackson Gilman, after a push from Mohamed Cisset, won a penalty kick for Pitt. There was much fight from the Penn State fans but after a check, the call stood. Cooke dove to the right but Guilherme Feitosa took a quick step and buried it in the middle left.

Pitt did not want to settle for a draw and added some fire, searching for the winner to secure all three points. Penn State’s defense found itself caught during a miscommunication, leaving the far post wide open for Casper Svendby to bury in an easy shot.

The Panthers rode on their momentum, with Lasse Dahl taking it all the way himself only to hit the post and allow Cisset to grab the ball back.

With 17 minutes to go, Grabfelder grabbed his second yellow card of the game for unsporting, picking up a red card on the day and forcing Penn State to play down a man for the rest of the game.

Ben Liscum won the ball back for the Nittany Lions, blowing past defenders and sending a through ball to Dionne who was taken down from behind and winning a free kick outside the box near the sideline.

The fouls continued to rack up as Penn State won another free kick after a hit to the face, but its effort was squashed as a foul was called against it in the box.

Pitt broke into the attacking third, pulling off of a shot but Morgan Marshall was able to put his body on the line and knock it out for a corner.

With just under five minutes left in the game, Penn State found itself with one of its last chances of the game as the Panthers gave away a free kick 15 yards ahead of the box. Ovesen sent it out to Marshall who found Michael Hewes but his shot went over the net.

Penn State fought to the end, searching for its equalizer but fell just short in the end, 2-1.

Takeaways

• Transfer goalkeeper Andrew Cooke has had a great start to the season, recording two saves on the day but always being a strong, threatening presence. Cooke has been aggressive since his debut to maintain momentum and energy for the Nittany Lions no matter the situation.
• Despite playing with only 10 men for 17 minutes, the Nittany Lions never had any glaring issues throughout the game. They adapted quickly to not give too much space to Pitt, but the loss meant it was even harder to come back as they failed to convert in the final third.
• Penn State’s high press was effective in the game, holding Pitt to only four shots on goal. Although Pitt dominated possession and often the tempo, it struggled to break into Penn State’s box due to the aggressive pushing from the midfield and high line of the Nittany Lions defense.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will remain in Happy Valley to take on St. Bonaventure on Monday, September 2. Kickoff will be at 5 p.m.