Penn State men’s soccer has had a rough first half of the season.

After three straight losses to Cornell, Michigan, and Ohio State, it was clear both the team and fanbase were struggling. However, the Nittany Lions overcame its rough patch, beat Michigan State in a comeback win Friday night, and aim to carry that momentum into another victory against St. John’s on Tuesday.

A 5-0 loss to Ohio State was tough for the Nittany Lions, leaving the team directionless following the defeat. Jack Bonas was the only defender worth mentioning in the contest, despite the little support he was given by his teammates.

Regardless of the loss, head coach Jeff Cook still had full faith in starting goalkeeper Andrew Cooke. The high scoreline didn’t reflect Cooke’s performance as he saved nine shots against the Buckeyes and kept Penn State in the game for much longer than anyone else would’ve.

“I have to also credit Andrew Cooke,” Cook said. “I did not think that any of the goals were directly his fault. Usually, if you lose 5-0, there might be a mistake there, but I thought he played really well overall.”

Cook also confirmed he will take it game by game in terms of choosing the starting goalkeeper but, “when things aren’t going your way, you want to be careful with making too many changes for the sake of it because Andrew, as I said, has performed admirably.”

Some of Penn State’s misfortune can be credited to injuries and unavailability for an assortment of reasons.

In the game against Michigan, midfielder Malick Daouda was sent off after a second yellow card, leaving Penn State with only 10 men for the final minutes while searching for an equalizer. The Nittany Lions hit the back of the net but after a review, it was waived for offsides, and the huge momentum swing they had just won was lost.

“The reality is, you’d rather lose one game by four, five to nothing than lose four games by 1-0. But we do need to put some points on the board urgently on Friday,” Cook said. “I think it’s digging down and showing your character when things have gone against you. It’s a new game on Friday, and so now it’s about refocusing and believing in each other and trying to turn this thing around.”

Cook’s words ran true as Penn State picked up its first win in 18 days over Michigan State. The Nittany Lions went down 1-0 at the end of the first half but dug deep and fought back in the second half to pick up two goals for the win.

Penn State’s defense was working as a unit again, not taking risky lunges or leaving each other in the dust as it did previously. It held off late opportunities from the Spartans and proved the team does have the talent it showcases on paper.

After the game, Cook said he kept his faith in his players, essentially telling them to stick to the plan and control the game, and the chances would fall into place. Both goals scored by Aboubacar Camara and Daouda were part of movements from the whole team that stitched together as one and perfectly set up the goals for a quick finish.

“We talked a lot this week about how we represent something bigger than ourselves,” Cook said. “We are Penn Staters, and that means something. We doubled down on that history, and the tradition, and all the alums who played before us. I thought from the first whistle, you could see an intent in our play.”

Daouda was a big player for the Nittany Lions in the win, helping solidify the defense by being an immense presence in the midfield to assist the defense. He consistently intercepted, broke lines, and covered much of the field.

Penn State has multiple players like Daouda who can raise the energy and when all working together, they have the chance to get back into the title race. Cook said he believes this year’s conference race can go down to the last regular-season game.

“I think you could have a year where the winning team has a couple of losses, maybe a couple of ties, or even three losses potentially,” Cook said. “I think it’s going to be razor-tight in terms of who actually wins. We just had to say, ‘We had our losses early to get them out of the way, and now we have to respond.’ And they did so fantastically.”

Both Cook and Daouda emphasized the switch in momentum and how much being a Penn Stater and the support of fans helps and means to the team.

“I’ve been at four or five different places and coached a lot of levels. For the fans to come out the way they did for a team that’s struggling, we needed them. And they drove us,” Cook said. “That was amazing to have that kind of support, and I can’t express how much it added fuel to our guys throughout the month.”

After the midfielder’s winning goal, Daouda led the team to the Park Avenue Army student fan section to celebrate. Even when the games aren’t going great, fans have come out for the Nittany Lions and made their presence known even if their own numbers are lower than normal.

From the moment the starting lineup is read, the students in the stands are always cheering and celebrating loud enough to energize anyone in the stadium. In night games, especially, the atmosphere is raised and the Nittany Lions gladly jump onto that energy.

“It’s special because I didn’t experience a lot yet, but in a Big Ten game like that, to be able to celebrate with them, it’s just amazing,” Daouda said.

The Nittany Lions will aim to keep the energy and momentum with them as they travel to New York to take on St. John’s. The game will take place at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, September 24. Folks can watch the game on ESPN+.