Penn State men’s soccer (4-5-1, 1-2-1 Big Ten) drew No. 21 Maryland (5-1-4, 3-0-1 Big Ten) on Tuesday night.

A defensive battle in College Park saw a scoreless game going into the halftime break. A goal for both teams, including a free-kick goal from Caden Grabfelder, led to a draw between the Big Ten opponents as the teams enter the back half of the season.

How It Happened

The first five minutes of the game showed the Nittany Lions winning the possession battle, calmly circulating passes defensively. Some passes were fed up top to Christian Dionne and Caden Grabfelder, but no real opportunity came out of those attempts. Maryland did squeeze a pass into the box in the fifth minute, but Matthew Henderson cleared the danger.

Maryland began to send more pressure offensively, generating crosses inside that were cleared by the Nittany Lions rapidly. In the eighth minute, a cross was sent in that deflected awkwardly off of defender Mohamed Cisset requiring goalkeeper Andrew Cooke to fully extend to keep the ball out of the net.

Soon after, Maryland shot a ball up top that showcased some confusion for the Nittany Lions defensively, as Cisset and Cooke both chased the ball. Cisset ultimately cleared it away. Two minutes later, Cisset made a run into Maryland’s half where he sent Dionne a through ball that was deflected and won Penn State a corner kick. The corner led to a shot by Ben Liscum from outside of the box that failed to challenge the Maryland keeper.

In the 19th minute, Malick Daouda gave the ball away in the defensive half which led to a Maryland counterattack. Cisset kicked the ball into the crowd to clear it, which was met with anger from Terrapin fans and players alike.

Three minutes after that, the Terrapins cooked up a quick attack with short passes between the attackers just outside of Penn State’s box. The attack culminated with a shot from Maryland striker Colin Griffith that flew past Cooke but banged the post, keeping the game level.

Following the chance, Maryland immediately gained momentum, keeping the ball in Penn State’s half and winning two corner kicks. Neither kick threatened Penn State, but the Terrapins began to take control of the game.

Through 22 minutes, both teams combined for more fouls than shots.

In the 28th minute, Dionne and Henderson strung together a pair of passes that led to a cross to midfielder Aboubacar Camara. Camara released the shot, but the Terrapin defender blocked the ball immediately.

With 13 minutes remaining in the first half, the Nittany Lions substituted Dionne and Liscum for Michael Hewes and Morgan Marshall, searching for a spark offensively to gain momentum going into halftime.

Three minutes later, Maryland shot a long cross to the other side of Penn State’s box that was headed between Maryland players. Cisset stood strong to block the subsequent shot and sent the ball upfield.

Following the clearance, Hewes and Samuel Ovensen connected for a rapid one-two pass that ended with Hewes getting a shot off directly at Maryland’s near post. While the shot was blocked, it represented the Nittany Lions’ first solid opportunity against the Terrapin defense.

Inside the last seven minutes of the first half, Maryland’s Aidan Sheppela let a ball loose from well outside the box. The ball bounced around the defense and led to a scramble, where Cooke ultimately jumped on it.

In the 42nd minute, a perfect cross that switched the field created a clear shot on goal for Maryland, but Cooke stood up to the challenge with an impressive save. Maryland got a second shot off after the block, but Cisset blasted the ball away to prevent further danger.

The second half opened with a Maryland cross that Ben Liscum headed away over the crossbar. The subsequent corner kick was flicked backward, hitting a Maryland player in the face. The ball snuck out between the clump of players for another corner. That corner was played to the top of the box, where a Maryland midfielder crossed it high for a header that snuck over the bar.

On the next possession, Maryland bulleted a cross in front of Cooke that glided out of bounds on the left side for a Penn State throw-in. The Terrapins’ pressure to start the second half resulted in alarming chances, but no score.

In the 51st minute, a complete collapse by Maryland’s defense led to Penn State’s best chance of the night. Hewes led the ball alone into Maryland’s box, but a slight deflection from the keeper inched the ball to the post. The clearest chances for both teams hit the woodwork.

Four minutes later, Maryland’s Colin Griffith shifted two Penn State defenders in the middle of the box off balance and curled a ball tightly into the right side of the net. Maryland took the lead after commencing the second half with a plethora of chances.

In the 61st minute, the Nittany Lions won a free kick a few yards outside of Maryland’s box. Grabfelder loomed over the ball and shot it powerfully into the bottom left corner, whistling past the Maryland keeper. The equalizer represented Grabfelder’s third goal of the season. The Nittany Lions were wrapped right back up into the game.

Following the goal, Maryland had a shot on target that led to a corner. The corner was immediately cleared and sparked a Penn State counterattack that was also stopped, but won the Nittany Lions a free kick after a foul on Ovesen. The free kick did not create any meaningful opportunities.

In the 68th minute, Aboubacar led the ball to the right side and cut inside the box to lead a cross that quickly zipped past the Nittany Lions who were in position to take a shot.

A 70th-minute foul on Cisset rewarded the Nittany Lions with another free kick around midfield. Cisset limped off the field but quickly reentered for the last 20 minutes of the match.

The Terrapins won a corner with 18 minutes left in the half. The ball bounced to the top of the box where the ball was shot well above the net, possibly even clearing the bleachers.

Following that shot, a Maryland through pass was crossed in that created a collision between Cisset and a Maryland attacker. Cisset’s high foot hit the attacker in the head, but no penalty check was made. The collision sparked a small tussle between the teams, showing rising tensions as the game entered its last fifteen minutes.

Morgan committed a foul that set up the Terrapins for a dangerous set piece in the 75th minute. The ball was hit awkwardly and sailed closer to the corner flag than the goal, giving Penn State a goal kick.

Aboubacar’s defense resulted in a foul that gifted Maryland a free kick on the far left side. The cross inside was headed towards the goal by a Penn State defender, forcing Cooke to make an acrobatic save to push the ball over the crossbar. The corner afterward was safely caught by Cooke to calm down the noticeable Terrapin momentum shift.

With five minutes remaining, Maryland was sending balls up top with disregard to playing the ball through the midfield. Penn State won a series of throw-ins that spent two minutes. One of the throw-ins came back to Marshall, who crossed the ball into the box. Grabfelder found it and unleashed a powerful shot that just went wide of the goal.

A Maryland counterattack was controlled by Ovensen as he passed back to Cooke for a clearance. A foul after the ball was recovered led to a Penn State free kick. Henderson curled the ball into the box but was met with nothing but Terrapin heads.

The final minute of the match saw Maryland play the ball from the back of the defense, switching it to the left side. The ball was cleared to midfield, and Dionne committed a foul to give Maryland a free kick. The free kick was perfectly served for a Maryland header, resulting in a diving save by Cooke to end the match as a draw.

Takeaways

• Mohamed Cisset was easily Penn State’s game-changer. His extremely solid defense stopped many promising Maryland attacks in their tracks, keeping the Nittany Lions in the game. Cisset cleared an immense number of balls out from corner kicks and dangerous crosses. He was the biggest factor on the field for the Nittany Lions today.
• Christian Dionne got the start but was subbed in for Michael Hewes with thirteen minutes left in the first half. Hewes made impressive plays and runs in behind to spark Penn State’s offense, and Dionne did not come back in until the last ten minutes, where he was subbed out again after a yellow card. Hewes’ performance and Dionne’s lack of playmaking may shake up the lineup for the rest of the season.
• With the result, Penn State has only one win in four Big Ten matches this season. This does showcase some concern, as the rest of Penn State’s wins have come from non-conference opponents. The remainder of the season is against Big Ten competition, meaning that the Nittany Lions will need to work hard for points going into the postseason.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions return to Jeffrey Field to take on new Big Ten foe UCLA for the annual Wear White game. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Friday, October 4.