Penn State men’s soccer (4-5-2, 1-2-2 Big Ten) the Nittany Lions drew with UCLA (4-3-4, 1-2-2 Big Ten) on Friday night.

The Nittany Lions went down early in the match but secured a draw spearheaded by midfielder Caden Grabfelder.

How It Happened

The first 10 minutes of play between the Nittany Lions and the Bruins resulted in a battle of back-and-forth possession.

Penn State had the first offensive possession but kicked it out of bounds, giving UCLA the corner kick in the third minute. The Nittany Lions were awarded a free kick on UCLA’s half at the fifth-minute mark, but were stalled by the Bruin’s defense.

In the 13th minute, UCLA took the lead 1-0. The Bruins attacked the Penn State defense, leading to a goal headed in by forward Jose Contell on goalkeeper Andrew Cooke. That marked Contell’s second goal on the season thus far and Cooke’s 18th goal allowed.

The Nittany Lions first broke into the box in the 20th minute with a shot that flew over the top crossbar by midfielder Freddie Bell.

Penn State took a corner kick into the far side of the box at the 20:39 mark, resulting in a change of possession. The Nittany Lions took a second corner kick at the 16th-minute mark by Matthew Henderson, ending on the top of the net.

A breakaway by a UCLA attacker created a lengthy possession that created four back-to-back corner kicks on the Nittany Lions. The strong possession by UCLA ended with a save by goalkeeper Andrew Cooke.

The Bruin’s defense halted the Nittany Lions in the first half of play, not allowing a single goal.

To open up the second half, Bruins forward Artem Vovk had a shot on goal in the 47th minute beautifully saved by Penn State goalkeeper Andrew Cooke.

in the 54th minute, UCLA went up 2-0 on the Nittany Lions with a goal by Vovk. Vovk worked the ball around a crowded penalty area before firing his shot past Cooke.

Artem Vovk puts another one on the board for @UCLAMSoccer #B1GMSoccer on @BigTenPlus pic.twitter.com/GpKQFcUwLM

— Big Ten Soccer (@B1GSoccer) October 5, 2024

In the 60th minute, Grabfelder took a shot that went off-target, continuing the Nittany Lion’s offensive woes.

After a Bruins possession, Penn State got another look at the net in the 61st minute. Malick Daouda had a shot on goal saved by Bruin’s goalkeeper Wyatt Nelson.

In the 65th, Michael Hewes had a shot on goal saved by the Bruins’ goalkeeper. Hewes’ shot marked the second shot on goal of the evening for Penn State.

The Nittany Lions won a corner kick in the 75th minute, which was quickly cleared by the Bruins. Grabfelder won the ball back at the top of the box and smashed the ball into the top of the net, putting Penn State within one with 15 minutes left to play.

Let Caden cook. pic.twitter.com/7DkZyZct4S

— Penn State Men’s Soccer (@PennStateMSOC) October 5, 2024

The Nittany Lions scored again in the 78th minute with an unassisted goal that rolled into the net by midfielder Ben Madore, tying the game 2-2. Madore’s shot didn’t have too much pace on it, but it was just enough to tuck past Nelson in the bottom-right corner.

That Madore magic. pic.twitter.com/IEKr6aI6wv

— Penn State Men’s Soccer (@PennStateMSOC) October 5, 2024

Penn State fought hard in the final 10 minutes to secure the draw; the game ended 2-2.

Takeaways

• Penn State looked rejuvenated coming out of the half, scoring two goals. This was a tale of two halves for the Nittany Lions.
• Grabfelder looked like the Nittany Lion’s premier offensive threat tonight. His goal belongs in a SportsCenter highlight reel and showed the talent and energy of this Nittany Lions team.
• The fans showed up at Jeffrey Field for its Wear White match, bringing that “White Out…energy” just seen at football.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions stay at Jeffrey Field for their next matchup against Rutgers at 8 p.m. on Monday, October 7.