Penn State men’s soccer (5-6-3, 1-4-2 Big Ten) fell to No. 21 Washington (9-3-2, 6-1-0 Big Ten) 1-2 at Jeffrey Field on Monday night.

Washington’s relentless offense overpowered Penn State throughout the game. Penn State battled back in the second half but failed to earn the win.

How It Happened

The game started fast as Penn State worked its way into the final third with the help of two quick Washington fouls. Davy Leavey took the first shot for the Nittany Lions on a header that went wide of the goal.

Washington started an attack of its own on the resulting goal kick. Defender Asher Hestad took a pair of quick shots in the 5th minute but failed to find the net as the first was blocked and the second was off target.

The Huskies continued to pound the Penn State defense, finding another chance in the 9th minute. Joe Dale kicked the ball up, but Nittany Lion keeper Jonathan Evans made a diving save.

In the 14th minute, Washington appeared primed to score. Defender Harrison Bertos fired a shot that Evans made another diving save on before the defense was able to clear it.

Penn State’s next opportunity to score came on a corner in the 19th minute. Malick Daouda received the kick, but his header was popped up away from the goal instead of into the net.

Washington went back on the attack in the 22nd minute. Zach Ramsey took his first shot of the game for the Huskies, but Evans was in perfect position to make the save.

In the 23rd minute, a foul by Leavey gave Washington a penalty kick. Charlie Kosakoff blasted the kick towards the goal, but Evans made another excellent save, diving to his right to deflect the ball.

Penn State had no time to recover after the penalty as the Huskies remained on the attack. Ramsey took his second shot of the game, which was blocked.

Washington’s constant offensive pressure would finally break the ice in the 26th minute. Connor Lofy fired the ball over a leaping Evans to put the Huskies up 0-1. Dale was credited with an assist on the score.

After the goal, Washington was immediately back on offense, working its way back into the final third. Richie Aman would take his first shot, which was blocked, and the resulting corner ended up in the arms of Evans.

Penn State finally got a chance on offense, taking a corner in the 32nd minute. The ball was kicked high in the air and was caught by Washington keeper Jadon Bowden, halting the attack.

In the 34th minute, the Huskies found another opening in the Penn State defense. Zach Ramsey received a pass from Kosakoff and volleyed it into the back of the net to put Washington up by two.

The rest of the first half was back and forth, with neither team taking a shot until the last minute. Ben Madore took a shot for the Nittany Lions that was blocked. Penn State took a corner that Bowden caught and quickly threw back to his team.

The Huskies raced down the field as the seconds ticked down, but Kosakoff skied the final shot over the goal. The clock ran out on the first half with Washington up 2-0.

Washington started the second half continuing its offensive assault. Ramsey received the ball right in front of the Nittany Lion goal, but his shot went wide.

Penn State finally had a chance on offense in the 48th minute. Christian Dione and Madore took back-to-back shots, both of which were blocked. The Nittany Lions then took back-to-back corner kicks, which resulted in shots by Joseph Sheridan and Ben Liscum, neither of which found the net.

After the four quick shots by Penn State, Washington was able to get back on offense for a second before a foul gave the Nittany Lions another chance. Morgan Marshall lofted the ball towards the goal, but the Huskies’ defense was able to recover the ball.

In the 54th minute, Washington raced through the Penn State defense with a series of passes. Ramsey took his 5th shot of the game, which Evans saved.

In the 56th minute, Washington had yet another scoring opportunity as Aman took a pair of quick shots. Evans saved the first and the second rolled out of bounds off target. In the 58th minute, Alex Hall had a chance of his own, which was also off target.

For the next nine minutes, neither team was able to find a shot. Washington committed several fouls as Lofy was issued a yellow card in the 65th minute and Hestad was given a yellow of his own in the 66th minute.

The next scoring opportunity came in the 67th minute as Washington took a pair of quick shots. Hall’s shot was blocked and deflected to Nick O’Brien, who launched it wide out of bounds.

Penn State found a chance of their own in the 68th minute, but Dionne’s shot was saved by Bowton.

Washington went back on offense and found an opening when Sheridan got a yellow. Hall’s third shot of the game was blocked, and the Nittany Lions were able to get the ball back. They raced down the field, and Dionne took his third shot, which the Husky defense blocked.

In the 73rd minute, Washington lofted the ball towards the goal on a corner. Evans made another clutch save on a shot by Bertos.

In the 76th minute, Penn State took a corner that resulted in Dionne’s fourth shot of the game, which was blocked. Washington committed a handball on the play that resulted in a penalty kick for the Nittany Lions.

Liscum took the penalty kick, stepping up and launching the ball towards the goal. Bowton dived to his right, but Liscum’s shot was to the opposite side. The ball flew into the net, shrinking Washington’s lead to one.

Penn State wasted no time using the momentum from the goal to go back on offense. Kai Phillip took an off-target shot in the 78th minute before Washington was briefly able to get the ball out of their final third.

The Nittany Lions went back on the attack in the 81st minute with four consecutive corners. On the fourth corner, Hall finally took the ball back for the Huskies and raced down the field, giving some momentum back to Washington.

The Huskies took a corner of their own in the 86th minute, which led to Osato Enabulele’s first shot of the game. Evans made another impressive save to keep the Nittany Lions within one.

Enabulele got a yellow card as the Nittany Lions headed back on offense. Dionne took his 5th shot of the game in the 87th minute, which was off target.

Penn State attempted to mount one final attack in the last two minutes of play. Washington was able to keep the Nittany Lions from taking any final shots, earning the 1-2 win.

Takeaways

• The Nittany Lions were outplayed on both offense and defense throughout this game. Washington took 22 shots to Penn State’s 12. Washington also had 10 shots on goal while Penn State only had two.
• Washington looked relentless, dominating time of possession and keeping Penn State’s defense on its heels. Its non-stop aggression led to the lopsided shot count.
• Jonathan Evans looked like a star despite letting in some goals. The redshirt freshman made several flashy saves, including one on a penalty kick. The final score would likely have been much worse for the Nittany Lions without Evans in goal.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions start their final road trip of the regular season, visiting Wisconsin at the McClimon Track/Soccer Complex on Saturday, October 25, at 8 p.m. Fans can follow along with the action on BTN+.