Penn State men’s soccer (5-9-2, 2-6-2 Big Ten) fell to Northwestern (9-7-1, 3-6-1 Big Ten) 4-1 on Sunday afternoon to close its regular season.

Penn State never really found its footing in the match and was dominated by Northwestern for the whole 90 minutes. It made it onto the scoreboard in the 73rd minute in an attempt for a comeback but the Wildcats quickly expanded the score to secure the statement win.

How It Happened

Northwestern started with the ball, immediately running down the sideline and winning a throw-in. It got called for offsides, and Penn State got its first share of possession, winning a slew of throw-ins to work downfield.

A midfield battle ensued for the ball, with Malick Daouda picking up the first yellow card of the game in the fifth minute for Penn State for unsporting, forcing the team to go back on defense. Freddie Bell then gave away a free kick near the 25-yard line to Northwestern but the shot was low and easily saved by goalie Andrew Cooke.

The Wildcats grabbed the first goal of the match in the 16th minute as Paul Son jumped over the defense and headed it in past Cooke.

Northwestern continued its momentum, winning midfield battles and sending long balls past Penn State’s line. Sean Bettenhausen came up with a big stop to refuse a shot and get the ball back to Penn State to attack.

Northwestern won a corner kick but Jack Bonas went down behind the goal after the play, needing medical attention for a non-contact injury. Bonas departed the field as Kojo Dadzie replaced him.

The Nittany Lions pushed Northwestern back, finally breaking into the final third but were bullied out of the ball. They were caught fighting against a quick counter, forcing Cooke to save another shot.

Ben Liscum intercepted the ball right outside the Wildcats box, putting Penn State back in the offensive third in the 29th minute. The Nittany Lions quickly got bullied from the ball and Northwestern’s counter began.

Akinjide Awujo broke past Penn State’s defense, sending the ball through to Son who drew a defender towards him and squared it back to Awujo at the penalty marker to smash it into the top right corner and put Northwestern up 2-0 in the 30th minute.

The Wildcats didn’t let off the petal after the goal, immediately breaking back into the box and taking another shot, forcing Cooke to push it over the crossbar.

Penn State pushed up, with Matthew Henderson at the 30-yard line and tapping it forward for Ben Madore, who ran at the corner flag but failed to overtake his defender, sending the ball back towards the 50 for the midfielders to battle it out.

The Wildcats fouled Bettenhausen, winning a free kick for Penn State that he sent into the air and the ball quickly came back at the defense. Northwestern took a shot that just skimmed by the far post, before winning back the clearance and staying on the attack.

It won a free kick around the 40-yard line, sending it high into the corner of the box. Reese Mayer attempted a bicycle kick for the Wildcats, which Cooke pushed into the crossbar. The rebound fell to an attacker and was crossed back in for Thaddaues Dewing to take a shot which Cooke again jumped to push away. This time the back line was able to kick the ball out for a corner kick which Northwestern failed to convert.

The Nittany Lions went on their final attack of the half as Christian Dionne flicked it toward the corner flag but Northwestern intercepted it and booted it out. Ben Liscum got the ball, sending it all the way back to reset before Penn State sent it down for Freddie Bell who found Caden Grabfelder. The midfielder decided to take a quick shot but hit a defender’s back and the Wildcats won the ball back.

The first half ended with Northwestern ahead 2-0, dominating the game.

Fredrick Grundin replaced Cooke in goal as Penn State came out with a bit of fire to start the second half, hoping to secure a common comeback win. It won a slew of throw-ins before Henderson picked up a yellow for aggressive play in the 49th minute

The Wildcats controlled the tempo, winning a corner kick in the 58th minute. The kick fell right in front of Grundin who fell on it to secure the ball and send the ball to the half.

It didn’t take long for Northwestern to get back on the attack and pass around the box. It found its breakthrough as Awujo snuck the ball past Grundin in the 60th minute to go up by three. Penn State had simply stopped playing because it was waiting for offsides to be called, which gave Awujo all the space he needed. The referee checked with VAR and the goal stood, leaving Penn State stunned.

Henderson started a Penn State attack, passing the ball to Madore who sent it through for Dionne. The attacker took a strong shot at the top of the box for Penn State’s first shot on goal, but Wildcats keeper Rafael Ponce De Leon made a big save to deny him.

Penn State won a throw-in on its own half, with Marshall sprinting down the sideline and sending the ball into the middle. Liscum tapped it to Henderson who squared it as the ball fell to Daouda at the penalty spot and he smashed it into the bottom left of the goal to put Penn State on the board in the 73rd minute.

The Wildcats didn’t let the goal throw them off their rhythm, coming straight down for Awujo to grab a hat trick on the day and put them up 4-1.

Northwestern almost made it five goals as it found itself in the box with Grundin caught out of position and the whole net open but was called for offsides.

The Nittany Lions were unable to string together any strong possession and were stuck on defense for the rest of the game, as they lost 4-1 in the final regular game of the season.

Takeaways

• Penn State’s offensive output has struggled today, its story of the season. It only had four shots against Northwestern, with two on goal. It gave away 14 corners and only one won of its own. Daouda’s late goal showed Penn State’s potential but the team was simply outshot and outplayed, failing to find any true control.
• Penn State had a hard start to the season but had a slew of comeback games to raise momentum and search for the Big Ten Tournament. With today’s loss though, they are currently tied for 10th place in the Big Ten with only seven teams making it to the tournament, most likely ending its season. Three weeks ago they were in a comfortable position to clinch a spot, but crucial losses against Indiana, Washington, and Wisconsin effectively killed its hopes.
• Penn State has a slew of young talent on this team, most notably Daouda. With many graduate players and seniors playing their last game tonight, the Nittany Lions will be looking for new leaders to emerge in the offseason to bring this program back to its true level.

What’s Next?

This game marked the last of the regular season for the Nittany Lions. With today’s loss, they are in the bottom three of the conference and are unlikely to qualify for the Big Ten Tournament.