Penn State men’s soccer (5-4-2, 1-2-1 Big Ten) dominated King’s College (2-6-4, 0-0-1 MAC Freedom) 7-1 at Jeffrey Field on Sunday afternoon on Senior Day.

The Nittany Lions controlled much of the first half, earning multiple corners and free kicks. Their added pressure paid off in the 23rd minute when Van Danielson’s attempted cross deflected off a King’s College defender for an own goal to open the scoring. In his first collegiate appearance, Nziza Siibo doubled the lead in the 38th minute, slipping a shot through the goalkeeper’s hands and into the net.

Penn State kept its foot on the gas in the second half. Ben Madore completed his hat trick, Danielson added his second of the game, and Christian Dionne also put one home as the Nittany Lions overwhelmed the Monarch to cruise to the Senior Day victory.

How It Happened

Both teams traded throw-ins during the opening minutes while trying to find a rhythm. King’s College was whistled for two quick fouls, Matt Maraia at 5:29 and Philip Permyashkin at 4:40, giving free kicks to Penn State’s Matthew Eger and Matiwos Rumley. They were also caught offside once, as play stayed mostly in midfield with more throw-ins.

Penn State began to generate some pressure in the 10th minute when Ben Nash forced the ball off a Monarchs defender to win the Nittany Lions’ first corner kick of the match, but they were unable to capitalize on the opportunity.

The Nittany Lions continued to push forward in the 15th minute. Kai Philips received a pass inside the box and fired a shot towards the net, but his attempt sailed wide right. Moments later, the Monarchs tried to reset with a goal kick, but possession quickly shifted back to Penn State after a handball.

Shortly after, Danielson was on the receiving end of an outlet pass and found space. However, heavy pressure from a defender forced his shot over the crossbar, ending in a goal kick for the Monarchs.

In the 20th minute, Penn State earned another corner kick. Conrad Brady swung the ball into the box, where the King’s College goalkeeper initially got a hand on the ball, but the rebound fell to Matiwos Rumluy, and his shot was blocked before it could reach the net.

Penn State finally broke through in the 23rd minute. Danielson tried to send a cross into the box, but the ball deflected off a Monarchs defender and rolled into the net for an own goal, putting the Nittany Lions up 1-0.

After the opening goal, a collision near the top of the box stopped play. King’s College’s Saul Lagunas Jr. was called for a foul, giving Danielson a free kick just outside the box. On the kick, Philip’s shot deflected off a teammate inside the box and sailed wide.

In the 29th minute, Penn State drew another free kick when Philips was shoved by James Leanord, earning the Nittany Lions a free kick. Philips swung the ball into the box, but it was headed away, and after a brief back-and-forth, the Monarchs cleared the ball. Penn State’s Davy Leavey was called for a foul, giving Brayden Lane a free kick.

Penn State doubled its lead in the 38th minute. In his first game, Siibo took a pass from Danielson and fired a shot towards the net. It looked as if King’s College goalkeeper Shane Hughes was going to make the save, but the shot slipped through his hands and trickled over the line to put the Nittany Lions up 2-0. The first half came to a close a few minutes after Siibo’s goal, sending Penn State into the break with a 2-0 lead.

The second half got underway with Penn State looking to add it its lead. Freddie Bell nearly made it 3-0 when his shot hit off the crossbar, and play continued as a second ball rolled onto the field and caused confusion.

Once again, Penn State almost struck gold in the 49th minute when Dionne got on the end of a pass from Matthew Henderson inside the box and looked for the top-right corner. His shot flew high and wide of the goal and out of play, keeping the score 2-0.

In the 52nd minute of play, Caden Grabfelder pounced on the loose ball and fired a shot on goal, but Ben Van Valkenburg came up with the save to deny him.

Moments later, King’s College pulled one back. In his first career start, Matt Maraia slipped past Penn State’s back line and found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper, and beat Fredrick Grundin to cut the deficit to 2-1 in the 53rd minute.

Penn State immediately answered back. In the 56th minute, Madore’s shot took a deflection inside the box and bounced into the net to restore the two-goal lead at 3-1. Less than 30 seconds later, Morgan Marshall swung a ball into the box that Dionne headed into the net for a goal at 56:04, stretching the lead to 4-1.

After Dionne’s header made it 4-1, the match began to take on a more physical tone. At 61:47, Bell was whistled for a foul, giving the Monarchs Evan James a free kick. Then at 62:38, King’s College’s Aaron Gutkowski fouled Dionne, awarding Penn State a free kick.

The Nittany Lions kept the pressure on after the 60-minute mark. Van Valkenburg initially made a stop to keep the score 4-1, but the rebound eventually found its way to Marshall, who set up Danielson for his second goal of the game at 65:19 to make it 5-1.

After Freddie Sahaydak committed a turnover deep in his own half, Madore pounced on the ball and took a perfectly placed shot to beat Van Valkenburg, making it 6-1 Nittany Lions in the 77th minute. Penn State capped the scoring in the 82nd minute when Madore completed the hat trick, burying his third goal of the game to make it 7-1 Nittany Lions.

Penn State controlled the closing minutes and got one more shot off before running out the clock to secure a Senior Day win.

Takeaways

• Madore and Danielson powered the Nittany Lions’ offense. Madore netted a hat trick to top the score sheet, while Danielson added two goals and an assist to help Penn State dominate King’s College.
• Penn State poured on the pressure all game, outshooting King’s College 28-2 and landing 16 shots on goal. The Nittany Lions also earned six corners and repeatedly created dangerous chances throughout.
• Aside from the lone breakaway goal by Maraia, Penn State’s back line gave up virtually nothing, cutting off counterattacks and controlling balls to keep pressure on the Monarchs.

What’s Next?

Penn State will head to California to play in its first of six straight Big Ten matchups against UCLA at 10 p.m. on Friday, October 10. The game will be streamed on BTN+.