Penn State men’s soccer (2-3) fell to Cornell (2-1) 3-2 on Monday night at Jeffrey Field.

The Nittany Lions faced high pressure from Cornell’s defensive and offensive lines throughout the game, receiving the ball far less than the opposing team. Although Penn State came to a lead at the start of the second half, Cornell came back scoring twice while dominating consistent possession of the ball throughout the game. Ultimately, Big Red came out on top, as the Nittany Lions were unable to score in the last half.

How It Happened

Penn State faced tough defense from Cornell in the first few minutes of the game, not seeing much of the ball at first. Big Red dominated possession quickly into the game with a few close shots on Penn State goalkeeper Andrew Cooke, setting a consistent tone for the match.

Five minutes into the match, Penn State midfielder Ben Liscum was awarded a free kick from a foul, missing his shot at the first goal of the game.

Possession of the ball went back and forth between the teams before Cornell forward Alioune Ka made a goal attempt. However, Cooke saved the shot from making it into the net.

Less than 10 minutes into the game, another free kick was awarded to Penn State midfielder Christian Dionne, but no progress was made. A minute later, a free kick was awarded to Cornell after Penn State defender Mohamed Cisset underwent a foul.

The Nittany Lions then managed to keep possession for a few minutes before being intercepted by Cornell. Thirteen minutes in, Cornell star forward Alex Harris scored the first goal of the game.

Roughly one minute later, Cisset received the first yellow card of the match for unsporting before Cornell midfielder Connor Miller scored another goal on Penn State.

Less than 30 seconds later, the Nittany Lions managed to reset as defender Morgan Marshall secured a goal for Penn State with assistance from midfielder Michael Hewes.

After closing the gap slightly, Cornell gave up three fouls in less than three minutes, awarding Dionne and Cisset more free kicks.

Big Red gained consistent possession with two goal attempts by Cornell midfielder Daniel Samways and defenseman Justin Melly.

At the 15-minute marker, both Penn State and Cornell made their first substitutions of the game, bringing in Kojo Dadzie, Ben Madore, and Freddie Bell. At this point in the game, nine fouls were already distributed with Cornell holding a majority.

Penn State saw the ball for a few minutes, attempting to make big moves with midfielder Caden Grabfelder attempting a goal shot.

Seconds after Cornell’s Andrew Johnson received a yellow card, Grabfelder took his opportunity to tie the game and scored a goal for the second time this season with less than 10 minutes left in the first half.

With the Nittany Lions up 2-1, the pressure carried on as Cornell made several goal attempts.

Due to Cornell’s consistent fouls slowing down the remaining minutes of the first half, the Nittany Lions’ momentum remained inconsistent.

Just under two minutes left, Penn State kept possession of the ball, however, Cornell’s defense wouldn’t let up. The first half came to an end with the Nittany Lions having a 2-1 lead over Big Red.

The second half began with Cornell taking early possession before receiving another yellow card.

Shortly after Penn State missed its shot, Cornell quickly dribbled the ball back and forth down the field, ultimately leading to Cornell forward Alex Harris scoring again on Penn State with assistance from Cornell’s Adam Schaban. Less than a minute later, Bell received a yellow card, opening a window for Cornell to score.

Minutes into the second half, Cornell kept Penn State on their toes, leaving little room for the offense to make any moves or keep possession of the ball.

Ten minutes into the second half, Cornell already received three corner kicks, while tightening up their defensive line.

In the 57th minute of the game, Cornell received a penalty kick, leading to Harris scoring once again.

With Cornell taking the lead, the pressure and stakes continued to rise, as they kept maintaining consistent contact with the ball.

After bringing back Dionne, Hewes, and Liscum, Penn State kept pushing, however, there was lots of back and forth of possession. For about 10 minutes, no big moves were made by either team.

With roughly 20 minutes left of the math, Penn State’s defensive line tightened up, blocking several potential shots. Shortly after, Cornell got another yellow card before attempting another goal.

With 15 minutes left, the Nittany Lions still haven’t seen much of the ball as Big Red continued to dominate possession in the second half.

Penn State got its first corner kick of the game with 10 minutes remaining, while Cornell already had seven corner kicks.

Both teams received yellow cards for unsporting conduct just one minute apart before Cornell’s Adam Schaban missed a goal attempt.

With three minutes left, Penn State maintained consistent contact with the ball, however, no shot attempts were able to be made due to Cornell’s heavy defense.

With 12 seconds left of the game, the clock stops due to one of Cornell’s players taking a fall, unable to get up by himself at first. Once the player got back on his feet, Penn State had little time to recover, ultimately leading to Cornell beating them 3-2.

Takeaways

• Cooke recorded three saves after being off last game. Although he let three goals, he showed a strong first half of the game.
• Grabfelder and defender Marshall both showed strong effort, each scoring a goal in the first half.
• Big Red showed consistent domination of the ball while Penn State’s defense was consistent during the second half.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will hit the road after their four-game homestand and play against Michigan at 7 p.m. Friday, September 13, in Ann Harbor, MI. The game will be streamed on BTN+.