Penn State men’s soccer (5-8-3, 1-6-1 Big Ten) lost to Ohio State (6-9, 3-6 Big Ten) 1-0 on the road at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium Friday night during their last road game of the regular season. 

The first half was a defensive battle, with both goalkeepers showing why they rank among the conference’s best. Penn State’s Jonathan Evans and Ohio State’s Max Trejo, each entering the game with 42 saves this season. 

How It Happened

Ohio State’s Luciano Pechota fired the game’s first shot, missing wide left. Van Danielson followed with a pair of chances for Penn State, Trejo smothering both opportunities. 

Aaron Hurge led Ohio State’s offense, helping Thomas Gilej and Ashton Bilow get looks for the Buckeyes, but the defense of Joe Sheridan and Ben Liscum kept this game scoreless at the half. 

With 13 minutes remaining in the half, Penn State earned its first corner kick, only for Trejo to leap and grab the incoming ball. Ohio State earned its closest scoring opportunity with just minutes left, Nyle Waugh getting deep into the goal box and Nick Skubis sliding in looking to finish, but Evans was able to knock the ball out of bounds to hold the Buckeyes. 

Penn State’s Matthew Henderson nearly scored before halftime, but Trejo dove on top of it to preserve the scoreless tie. Despite several strong looks from Danielson and Henderson, the game remained scoreless at the half.

The Buckeyes came out aggressively after halftime, pressing Penn State’s defense and controlling possession for much of the first ten minutes. Ndiweni narrowly missed a header early in the half, and Creech fired a shot that was just high of the top of the net. 

Penn State had a brief look at a goal when Caden Grabfelder broke free, but was stopped by the Buckeyes’ defense. Hurge, who broke free on the right wing, but Evans came up big with a save to try and push his Nittany Lions into an offensive run. Ben Medore was able to get off a shot, but Trejo smothered the play. 

The Buckeyes finally broke through with 15 minutes remaining when Bilow’s shot bounced off the right post, Tanner Creech rebounding and scoring to put Ohio State up 1–0. Penn State pushed for an equalizer in the closing minutes, but Trejo capped off the night with a shutout, and Ohio State earned the Big Ten victory. 

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will play their last game of the season on November 7 against Michigan. The game will be at 8:00 pm at Jeffrey Field and is available on BigTen+.