Penn State men’s soccer (5-5-2, 2-2-2 Big Ten) beat Rutgers (4-6-2, 1-3-1 Big Ten) 2-1 on Monday night at Jeffrey Field.

Aboubacar Camara secured both scores for Penn State and a crucial Big Ten win. It was a high-scoring second half as all three goals were scored after halftime.

How It Happened

Penn State had a lot of possession for the opening 10 minutes and Aboubacar Camara had a shot blocked for a corner kick. Penn State’s corner was sent into the box where Jack Bonas took a shot, which was blocked again. Rutgers then went on the attack but Penn State won back possession through a free kick.

Penn State crossed the ball, missing the shot and leading the ball to the goalie for a save.

Matthew Henderson sent a through ball in the box to Caden Grabfelder, who tried to pass the ball to a defender but got outnumbered. This led to a turn of possession.

Rutgers tried scoring twice, with Penn State defenders blocking both shots.

Grabfelder took a shot on goal but it was saved by Rutgers goalie Ciaran Dalton. Penn State had many opportunities but was unable to pass the Rutgers defense and put the ball in the back of the goal.

Grabfelder had another shot saved by the goalie and Penn State had a prolonged attack. Penn State got taken out in the box, causing a corner kick. The corner went past the offense, straight to the goalie.

Penn State got possession back with ten minutes left and was looking for a goal. Its defense stayed strong not letting Rutgers get a goal. Rutgers had a chance on goal but the ball went wide.

With five minutes left in the half, Penn State rushed the defense looking for a goal. Penn State’s defense made Rutgers forwards run in circles, trying to get the ball to the top of the field. The Nittany Lion’s forward had a shot on goal, but it went too high, ending the first half scoreless.

Both teams came back from halftime with scrappy plays.

It took Rutgers less than two minutes to get a corner kick. It shot the ball over the players, and Penn State gained possession.

Michael Hewes was on the far side of the box and beat his defender. He squared the ball into the box, where Camara got in front of the goalie, tapping it in for a Penn State goal in the 50th minute.

The Nittany Lions got a corner kick, but Rutgers did not let Penn State get another goal and took back possession.

Rutgers tried to find its goal, but Bonas stopped the ball before getting through to the goalie.

There was a foul on Penn State, bringing possession to Rutgers which did not last long.

Penn State kicked the ball into the box, looking for a chance to score. The Rutgers defensive line did not let it go through.

Penn State kept tight pressure on its side of the field, not letting the Scarlet Knights get through.

Rutgers tried to send the ball into the zone but Penn State headed the ball out.

Nick Collins tried to jump up and head the ball and the header was deflected off Morgan Marshall going into the net. The score was tied 1-1 in the 65th minute.

Both teams became aggressive switching back and forth with possession.

Henderson attempted to score, but Dalton pushed it out of bounds which caused a corner kick.

The Scarlet Knights had an opportunity with a corner kick, but the Nittany Lions gained back possession. Camara had a nice placement to score a goal but was offsides.

Grabfelder had a corner kick, with Penn State heading it outside the box which made them lose possession.

Henderson made an attempt at goal, but the defense blocked the ball, leading it to the goalie.

Rutgers followed up the opportunity and had an open goal chance but missed.

There was a breakaway down the field by Penn State. It broke into the box and it was a complete scramble for the ball from players on both teams falling everywhere.

With 30 seconds left, Christian Dionne fell in the box and the Penn State sideline erupted, causing the referees to check the play. The crowd went crazy as it was called a penalty kick.

Camara stepped up and scored on the penalty kick in the bottom left of the net in the 90th minute.

Time drained away as Penn State secured its 2-1 win over Rutgers in the final thirty seconds.

Takeaways

• The Nittany Lions were playing strong with 12 shots on goal. They stayed strong in possession not letting Rutgers get through to the net.
• Penn State’s defense also had a great game tonight staying strong. The defenders had great saves of their own as well as the goalie.
• Camara scored both goals bringing Penn State to victory in the second half. He was the game-changer tonight.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will hit the road to continue Big Ten play against Indiana. The game will kick off at 7 p.m. on Friday, October 11, in Bloomington.