Penn State men’s soccer (5-8-2, 2-5-2 Big Ten) lost to Wisconsin (7-5-2, 2-5-2 Big Ten) 2-0 on Senior Night at Jeffrey Field.

The Nittany Lions dropped their third straight game after conceding early. The continued lack of offensive production and creativity in set pieces paralyzed Penn State throughout the match, handing them their eighth loss of the season.

How It Happened

A fast Wisconsin start found Christian Dionne putting in a hard tackle for a yellow card. The Badgers won a free kick from about 25 yards out, which went out of bounds for an Andrew Cooke goal kick.

After miscues in the midfield, Wisconsin held the ball and made crafty passes down the left side. Morgan Marshall could not defend the cross as a Badger whipped it in, where another attacker shot a strong header that Cooke denied. Cooke’s immediate distribution of the ball led to a Penn State counterattack, but a Wisconsin defender intercepted Chase Oliver’s pass for Christian Dionne.

A short two minutes later, Jack Bonas’ failed clearance led to another Wisconsin cross, and this time a Badger headed it past Cooke to put them up 1-0 eight minutes in.

Fifteen minutes in, Oliver threaded a perfect pass to switch the field to try and jumpstart the stagnant Penn State offense. Wisconsin immediately smothered midfielder Caden Grabfelder and regained possession.

Aboubacar Camara chased a long ball sent from the Nittany Lion defense, narrowly missing a touch that would have sent him through on goal. Malick Daouda closed in on the subsequent Wisconsin pass, where a Badger tackled and fouled him. The ensuing free kick failed to create an opportunity for the Nittany Lions.

In the 25th minute, the Badgers won a free kick deep on the left side. Wisconsin’s Trip Fleming sent in a cross that Samuel Ovesen grazed out of bounds. Malick Daouda headed the ball out on the resulting corner kick.

Four minutes later, the Nittany Lions found signs of life in Wisconsin’s half. Ben Madore looped a high cross into Ben Liscum, whose header flew far away from the net. Nevertheless, Penn State worked its way into Wisconsin’s box for the first time.

A powerful challenge by Madore awarded the Badgers another free kick in a similar spot to their previous one. This set piece also played out similarly to the one before it, with Fleming sending a low cross that the Penn State defense easily handled for a goal kick.

With eight minutes left to play in the half, Bonas expertly defended a two-on-one chance from the Badgers down the right side. His disruption of the attack denied a sure-fire shot on goal to keep the deficit at 1-0 for the time being.

Wisconsin won its fifth corner of the night with three and a half minutes left. Matthew Zachemski flicked the ball in, where Ryan Quintos carefully headed the ball into the bottom right corner, precisely where Cooke couldn’t reach it. The half concluded with the 2-0 score despite a last-second Penn State free kick that Wisconsin keeper Matisse Hebert calmly scooped up.

Penn State commenced the second half with the foot on the gas. Camara acrobatically attempted a bicycle kick but missed the ball narrowly. Midfielder Kojo Dadzie unleashed the clean-up shot. Hebert’s save created a corner, but Wisconsin cleared the ball from any danger.

Eight minutes into the half, Daouda sprinted the length of the field, perfectly setting up Camara with a through ball. A sea of red instantly arrived to dismantle the attack and win the ball back for the Badgers. A minute later, a similar ball was threaded through to Camara, but two Badgers closed in on him from both sides, preventing any continuation of the play.

After a Wisconsin free kick, Penn State worked its way up the left side of the field. Marshall launched a perfect cross to Madore, who headed it low, directly at Hebert. Hebert pushed the ball out of the way, where a Badger defender kicked it way out of bounds.

Tensions heightened with 20 minutes remaining in the contest, with tackles flying in from both teams. Madore managed to power off a long-distance shot, but it waywardly zipped past the net for a Wisconsin goal kick.

Nittany Lion defender Matthew Henderson pushed his way up the field, with Penn State showing desperation in their play. His cross into the box found nothing but a Badger head as the clock rounded to fifteen minutes left.

In the 80th minute, Henderson loomed over a free kick that once again flew over any Nittany Lions in the Badger box. Grabfelder won another free kick a minute later, but the result of the set piece remained the same.

In the final ten minutes, the Nittany Lions led more attacks that Wisconsin continued to smother automatically. The match concluded 2-0.

Takeaways

• The Penn State attack is too one-dimensional. Penn State sends a lot of balls up top to Camara, but a lack of support around him doesn’t create an outlet for him to distract defenders and open another player in the box. Wisconsin easily isolated Camara, halting any offensive success.
• Penn State once again failed to create any offensive momentum after conceding early. Wisconsin defenders immediately squashed any attempts to move around in their box. A change in formation from a 4-4-2 to a 3-5-2 late in the second half still didn’t spark any real chances for the Nittany Lions.
• The Nittany Lions continue to struggle in Big Ten play as they now face the real danger of missing the conference tournament. Their final game at Northwestern suddenly turns into a must-win affair after dropping the last three straight games.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions conclude their regular season at 2 p.m. on Sunday, November 3, in Evanston to take on Northwestern.