Penn State men’s soccer (2-4-1, 0-2 Big Ten) lost to No. 5 Indiana (6-1-1, 1-1 Big Ten) 4-1 at Jeffrey Field on Friday night.

Despite a strong start behind a Kai Phillip goal in the opening eight minutes, Penn State failed to control the game as it progressed. The Hoosiers outpaced the Nittany Lions down the wings and capitalized on their plethora of set piece opportunities. Indiana forward Palmer Ault lit up the Nittany Lions with three goals and one assist.

How It Happened

Indiana started off on the attack as Ghanaian forward Collins Oduro worked his way down the near side. He misplaced his kick as the ball went out for a Penn State goal kick.

Oduro picked out Indiana defender Ben Do near the same spot, but he skied the ball over Penn State’s net. Christian Dionne led a Nittany Lion attack the other way. He whipped in a cross right past Indiana goalkeeper Holden Brown, but nobody met the ball on the other side.

Penn State forward Kai Phillip hawked down a mishandled ball by Breckin Minzey, dashing right past the Hoosier defender and swooping around Brown for the game’s first score in the eighth minute.

No better time to score your first goal of the season #WeAre pic.twitter.com/cUfsZa4gqO

— Penn State Men’s Soccer (@PennStateMSOC) September 19, 2025

Indiana put its foot on the gas following Penn State’s opening goal, but Matthew Henderson confidently thwarted away a shot from Palmer Ault. However, the Hoosiers quickly tied the game behind a Josh Maher header off a corner kick from Ault.

Dionne narrowly missed the far post after an Indiana defender lightly grazed the ball off-target in the 18th minute. Penn State won a corner kick, which turned into a fiery cross from Matiwos Rumley that connected with Dionne in the box. The ball zipped towards the near post once more, but Brown blocked it away.

Phillip continued to push into Indiana’s box alongside Dionne before the Hoosiers flipped the field once more. Indiana connected on another header, this time off of a free kick, but Penn State goalkeeper Jonathan Evans calmly scooped it up.

The match stalled for a bit at the 30-minute mark as players on both sides struggled to get secure footing on the slippery field.

Ben Madore got a solid shot off for the Nittany Lions just outside of Indiana’s box as the first half entered its final 12 minutes, but the Hoosiers rattled it off.

Ault fired off a quick-turn shot near the penalty spot, but Evans somehow got down fast enough to save it in the final minute of the first half to preserve the tie.

Oduro and Easton Bogard made a threatening advance into Penn State’s box to open the second half, ultimately winning back-to-back corner kicks. Evans came off his line on the second corner, pushing the ball into an awkward bounce. Indiana midfielder Charlie Heuer tried a bicycle kick, but got hurt on the play. He walked off under his own power.

Indiana won another pair of corner kicks following Heuer’s injury. The Hoosiers nicked the crossbar and registered a clear shot on goal before a Nittany Lion defender cleared the ball off the line to preserve the tie. The officials made a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review to ensure that the ball didn’t cross the goal line. They ultimately upheld the call of no goal.

Ben Liscum blocked a shot from Oduro with his stomach. The Nittany Lions moved the ball up through the midfield and almost sent Dionne through Indiana’s defense, but Dionne retreated from his offside position.

The Hoosiers worked their way back into the Nittany Lions’ box off a Penn State turnover. Ault found his way through a plethora of bodies as Indiana took its first lead of the game in the 58th minute. Ovesen tried kicking the ball out, but the damage was already done.

Ault put salt in the wound with a top-corner shot just three minutes later. Evans never had a chance.

Indiana continued to pour it on midway through the second half with consecutive threats on Penn State’s goal. The Hoosiers had another golden chance as the game almost entered its final 15 minutes, but Liscum sent the ball away before Indiana could challenge Evans.

Indiana ran its way into a three-on-one opportunity in the 76th minute, but Evans rattled the shot off of his shoulder for a save.

Penn State continued to chuck balls up to the offensive third as many times as it could in the final 15 minutes to no avail. Ault put the exclamation point with his third goal of the night on an easy tap-in in the 85th minute.

Takeaways

• Another fast start and second-half collapse for Penn State against a ranked opponent. The Nittany Lions followed this same formula three games ago against then-No. 23 Missouri State, claiming the early lead and quickly losing control as the game wound down.
• Indiana really controlled the flow of the game through the sheer amount of set piece opportunities it had. The Hoosiers ended their day with 10 corner kicks and 24 total shots. Their opening goal was off of a corner as well.
• Despite the loss, Jonathan Evans had a productive day in net. He ended his day with six saves, including an impressive denial on a three-on-one Indiana opportunity late in the second half.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will resume Big Ten play with a battle against Maryland at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, September 23, at Jeffrey Field. Folks can follow along on the Big Ten Network.