Penn State men’s soccer (2-4-2, 0-2-1 Big Ten) tied against No. 23 Maryland (5-0-2, 1-0-1 Big Ten) 2-2 at Jeffrey Field on Tuesday night.

Penn State struggled to settle into the game as Maryland dominated possession and had the majority of the chances in the first half. The Terrapins finally broke through on a goal by Farouk Cisse before the first half came to an end.

The Nittany Lions tied the game six minutes into the second half before a red card was given to Maryland player Stephane Njike. Penn State gained the momentum and went on to take the lead on a goal by Christian Dionne. However, the Terrapins tied the game at two with five minutes left, and the game ended in a tie as both teams couldn’t find a winner.

How It Happened

Maryland got off to a quick start as it dominated possession on Penn State’s side of the field. It took till the 2nd minute for the Nittany Lions to get their first touch. The Terrapins continued to play the high press, and they had the first scoring opportunity on a header by Albi Ndrenika, but it went off-target.

In the 6th minute, Maryland earned the first corner of the game but couldn’t capitalize as the ball went out for a Penn State goal kick. Three minutes later, the Nittany Lions earned their first corner kick as they started to settle into the game. They had their first opportunity to score on a shot by Freddie Bell, but it was blocked, which led to a Maryland counterattack. Penn State’s defense stood tall on the counterattack as it cleared the ball out of danger.

The tempo of the game slowed down for the next eight minutes as the Terrapins continued to dominate possession. Maryland had the opportunity to break the deadlock on a header by Leon Koehl, but it was blocked, which led to an easy grab for Penn State goalkeeper Jonathan Evans. In the 22nd minute, Rocket Ritarita broke past the Nittany Lions’ defense, which forced Evans to make a great save before the play was called for offside.

Penn State continued to struggle settling into the game as Maryland continued to dominate possession. The Nittany Lions earned their second corner of the game in the 28th minute, but could not test the Terrapins’ defense as they regained possession. Maryland continued to threaten to score as it created two scoring opportunities, but could not convert as Evans made a save and Koehl’s shot went off-target.

The Terrapins looked to be on their way to scoring the first goal of the game as Ritarita beat Penn State’s high line and managed to get a one-on-one against Evans. However, he failed to capitalize as his shot went above the goal. This offensive pressure would not stop as Maryland earned another corner. Even though it couldn’t create a scoring opportunity, the Nittany Lions could not clear away the danger, and both teams went back and forth with the possession of the ball.

In the end, the Terrapins managed to win this possession battle, and after Evans made a save, the ball rebounded to Farouk Cisse, who hit a shot from outside the box on his first touch, which went into the back of the net as they finally managed to break the deadlock. In the 41st minute, Davy Leavey played a great cross to Van Danielson as he managed to bring control of the ball and get Penn State’s first shot on goal, but it was saved by Maryland’s goalkeeper, Laurin Mack.

This scoring opportunity gave some momentum to the Nittany Lions as they started to put the pressure on the Terrapins’ defense. They managed to get another chance to tie the game on a shot by Ben Madore, but Mack was able to make an easy save. The first half came to an end with Maryland holding a 1-0 lead.

Maryland earned the first corner of the second half, and it threatened to extend its lead on a shot by Cisse, but it went wide left. In the 50th minute, Penn State earned a corner, and Bell took a shot on goal before it went off-target. This led to a Maryland goal kick. However, the Terrapins turn the ball over in their own box as Caden Grabfelder intercepted it before passing it to Madore. He controlled the ball with his left foot before shooting it with his right foot, and he scored to tie the game at one.

Grabfelder pressure Madore goal

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— Penn State Men’s Soccer (@PennStateMSOC) September 24, 2025

The Terrapins tried to break the deadlock right away on shots by Stephane Njike and Ndrenika, but both went off-target. Both teams went back and forth for the next 10 minutes as they traded possession. Maryland looked like it had a chance to break the tie, but an offside was called against it. In the span of two minutes, three fouls were called, with two called against the Terrapins and one against the Nittany Lions.

Maryland continued its offensive pressure, and Ndrekina managed to get a shot, but it went off-target once again. In the 72nd minute, the Terrapins earned themselves a corner and managed to test Evans on a shot by Lasse Kalpe. After the ball went out of bounds, the referee went to VAR to review a potential red card. After the review, the referee gave a red card to Njike for a dangerous foul, which led the Terrapins to play with 10 men for the remainder of the game.

Penn State started to dominate possession of the ball and earned a corner in the 74th minute. It got close to taking the lead on a header by Joseph Sheridan, but Mack made a great save before the ball went out of bounds for another Penn State corner. Once again, it could not capitalize as Malick Daouda’s shot went off-target. In the 78th minute, Grabfelder got a yellow card for unsportsmanlike conduct.

The Nittany Lions continued to play the high press as they searched for a winner in the final 10 minutes of the game. However, the Terrapins had a great opportunity to take the lead on a shot by Kenny Quist-Therson, but it went above the goal, leading to a Penn State goal kick. A minute later, Penn State took the lead at 2-1 on a goal by Christian Dionne with six minutes left.

Cleaning crew, coming through

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— Penn State Men’s Soccer (@PennStateMSOC) September 24, 2025

However, Maryland refused to go away, and it started to be aggressive in the offensive attack. It earned a free kick just outside Penn State’s box, which earned Bell a yellow card. The Terrapins capitalized on the set piece as Lasse Kelp scored on the free kick to tie the game at two. The drama didn’t end there as Van Danielson looked to have given the Nittany Lions the lead a minute later, but he was called for offside.

Both teams went back-and-forth as they searched for a game-winner, but with three seconds left, Liscum fouled Kelp just outside the box to give the Terrapins one last chance to win the game. Kelp took a shot on goal, but Evans made a great save to keep the deadlock intact as the game ended in a 2-2 tie.

Takeaways

• What a second half. After the Terrapins dominated the first half, the Nittany Lions scored a goal to tie the game before a red card led to the Terrapins playing with 18 minutes left in the game. Penn State took the lead with six minutes left, but Maryland tied the game a minute later on a free kick. Both teams had great opportunities to win the game, but couldn’t find the winner as the game ended in a draw.
• Penn State struggled to keep up with the pace of Maryland as it barely had possession of the ball in the first half. However, it started to dominate possession after Maryland scored, and this gave it momentum heading into the second half. It was able to withstand Maryland’s pressure throughout the game and managed to capitalize on a mistake by Maryland, leading to this tie.
• Maryland will regret not taking advantage of its opportunities in this game, especially in the first half and after the red card occurred. Despite dominating possession, it was very inefficient on goals as it only had 11 shots, with only two going on target. Despite being inefficient, it was able to capitalize on its two shots on target.

What’s Next?

Penn State will have a week of rest before it plays a non-conference game against Robert Morris at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, September 30, at Jeffrey Field. The game can be streamed on BTN+.