Penn State men’s soccer (4-4-2, 1-2-1 Big Ten) came back from a one-goal deficit to beat Michigan State (5-5, 3-3 Big Ten) 2-1 at DeMartin Stadium on Friday afternoon. This was the Nittany Lions’ first win in Big Ten play this season.

The Nittany Lions struggled with possession of the ball in the first half as the defense had to be on their heels for most of the half. Despite not converting on most of their chances, the Spartans finally broke through in the 34th minute to take the lead. However, Penn State took advantage of its first scoring opportunity as Van Danielson’s goal tied the game at one before the first half came to an end.

In the second half, both teams struggled to create dangerous scoring opportunities as the deadlock continued to stay intact. However, the Nittany Lions broke through on a goal by Malick Daouda with 16 minutes left in the game. The Spartans could not respond as the Nittany Lions held on to win 2-1.

How It Happened

The tempo of the game started slowly as both teams traded throw-ins for the first six minutes of the first half. A minute later, Michigan State tried to create the first scoring opportunity of the game as Penn State played a high line. This strategy paid off for the Nittany Lions as the Spartans were called for offside.

Michigan State started to dominate possession as it put Penn State’s defense on its heels for the next six minutes. The Nittany Lions’ defense stood tall during this stretch, as they refused to let the Spartans get a shot on target. However, in the 14th minute, the Spartans went on the counterattack after they intercepted Freddie Bell’s pass. Luke Spadafora had the first shot of the game, but Penn State goalkeeper Jonathan Evans made a great save.

This shot gave Michigan State momentum as it continued to be aggressive offensively. Collin Arce had another shot for it, but the ball was blocked, leading to a Michigan State corner. It looked like the Spartans capitalized on this set piece due to Jack Guggemos’s header, but it hit the post. They continued to threaten, but the Nittany Lions’ defense survived this onslaught by blocking two of Michigan State’s shots. The danger ended with Michigan State’s Richie Ludwig fouling Malick Daouda.

Penn State started to settle into the game as it had more possession of the ball. However, in the 24th minute, Michigan State had a glorious scoring opportunity to break the deadlock on a shot by Arce. Evans made a spectacular save on this shot, but the Nittany Lions could not clear away the danger. Ludwig got another shot inside Penn State’s box, but the ball hit the post before it went out of bounds.

EVANS HOLDING IT DOWN

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— Penn State Men’s Soccer (@PennStateMSOC) October 3, 2025

The tempo of the game slowed down for the next seven minutes as both teams traded possession of the ball. In the 31st minute, Josh Adam drove the ball on the left side of Penn State’s box before being taken down by Caden Grabfelder, but no penalty was given. A VAR review occurred right after the ball went out of bounds, but the call stood after the review.

After the review, the Nittany Lions started to threaten, and they got their first corner of the game. They couldn’t create a scoring opportunity on it. Both teams exchanged corners for the next two minutes, but neither team managed to create a scoring opportunity. In the 38th minute, Penn State had its first scoring opportunity on a shot by Van Danielson, but it couldn’t convert as the shot went off-target.

This came back to haunt the Nittany Lions as the Spartans went on the attack right away. Chimnosoh Okeke passed the ball to Ludwig inside Penn State’s box, and after he took a touch, he shot the ball with his left foot. Michigan State finally broke the deadlock as the ball went through Evans’ legs and into the back of the net.

The Spartans continued to make life difficult for the Nittany Lions as they dominated possession of the ball. After Evans made another save in the 42nd minute, Penn State went on the counterattack. This counter paid off for it as Bell played a cross into Michigan State’s box, Grabfelder volleyed the ball to Van Danielson, who then hit a volley on his first touch, and scored to tie the game at one. The first half came to an end two minutes after Van Danielson’s goal.

DANIELSON'S FLICK FINDS THE NET

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— Penn State Men’s Soccer (@PennStateMSOC) October 3, 2025

The second half got underway, and the Nittany Lions tried to break the deadlock 16 seconds into the half on a shot by Grabfelder. However, Kelly made a save to keep the game at one apiece. A minute later, Kai Phillip was given the first yellow card of the game for unsporting behavior.

Michigan State got on the attack, and Okeke got a shot on target, but Evans’s save prevented the Spartans from scoring. In the 51st minute, Michigan State’s Jared Smid was given a yellow card for unsporting behavior. Both teams went back and forth for the next six minutes as neither team threatened to score.

Arce got a scoring opportunity in the 57th minute, but his shot went off target. Throw-ins were traded, but the Spartans continued to threaten to score. Okeke got another shot off, but once again, it went off target, leading to a Penn State goal kick.

Throw-ins were exchanged for the next four minutes, but Penn State finally got a scoring opportunity in the 66th minute. However, Phillip’s shot went off target. The Nittany Lions started to get more aggressive offensively, and a minute later, Ben Madore took a shot on goal, but it went off target, leading to a Michigan State goal kick.

The tempo of the game started to slow down for the next five minutes. However, in the 74th minute, Dionne drove the ball down the left flank of Michigan State’s box, and he passed the ball to Daouda, who beat the defender before taking a shot with his right foot. He scored on this opportunity to give Penn State a 2-1 lead.

DAOUDA GIVES US THE LEAD!!!

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— Penn State Men’s Soccer (@PennStateMSOC) October 3, 2025

The Spartans tried to respond right away on a shot by Peter Soudan, but Evans made another save to keep the Nittany Lions’ lead intact. Both teams went back and forth for the next nine minutes as they traded possession. With six minutes left, Michigan State tried to tie the game on a shot by Ludwig, but his shot went off target, leading to a Penn State goal kick.

This back-and-forth possession continued for the final five minutes as the Spartans tried to break down the Nittany Lions’ defense. However, they stood tall, and the game came to an end as Penn State hung on to win 2-1.

Takeaways

• Despite being outpossessed for most of the game, Penn State took advantage of its scoring chances when it mattered most. It only had three shots on goal, compared to Michigan State’s six, and it was very effective, as it couldn’t score on only one of these chances.
• Jonathan Evans was the hero for the Nittany Lions today. He made six saves today and only allowed the Spartans to score one goal in the process. He has been great in net for Penn State this season as he has allowed an average of 1.16 goals per game.
• Michigan State was very ineffective on goal today. Due to dominating possession throughout most of the game, they got 16 shots, with seven going on target. However, they could only score one goal, and due to that, it allowed Penn State to stay in the game, which in the end, came back to haunt it in this loss.

What’s Next?

Penn State will play its final non-conference game at Jeffrey Field against King’s College at 3 p.m. on Sunday, October 5, as its annual Senior Day game. The game will be streamed on BTN+.