Penn State men’s soccer (5-8-4, 1-6-3 Big Ten) tied with No. 10 Michigan (11-2-4, 6-2-2 Big Ten) 0-0 to end its season in front of the home crowd at Jeffrey Field on Friday night.

Even with no goals, both offenses had plenty of chances to score. The goaltenders came up huge when their numbers were called.

How It Happened

Penn State owned the first shot of the match, as a Freddie Bell strike soared over the Michigan net in the 6th minute. Shortly after, Malick Daouda was called for the first foul of the game, and Michigan’s Joao Paulo Ramos got the free kick.

The Wolverines had a couple of chances from the penalty area, but couldn’t get anything on net. After a collision at midfield in the 14th minute, Michigan got its second free kick of the game. A yellow card was issued to Davy Leavey for Dissent.

After attempting a long cross-field pass, Michigan was called for its first foul, and a free kick was awarded to Morgan Marshall. In the 22nd minute, Penn State goalkeeper Jonathan Evans got his first save of the match. He plucked an attempted centering pass out of the air to put a stop to a promising Michigan opportunity.

Just over a minute later, the Nittany Lions had their first shot on goal. This one was a screamer by Leavy, but it was saved by Isaiah Goldson, the Michigan keeper.

Keeping up the back-and-forth play, Michigan got its second shot on goal in the 25th minute. Again, Evans made the stop for the Nittany Lions.

Penn State made its first substitution of the game shortly after. Ben Madore came in for Van Danielson. The home team would soon get the first corner kick of the game, but nothing came from the chance.

With under 10 minutes left to go in the half, Madore sliced through the Wolverine defense into the penalty area and let off a shot that was just narrowly caught by Goldson. Before long, Penn State got another chance, but Christian Dionne was off target with his shot.

With time running low in the first half, Bell shot a rocket that was blocked by the Michigan defense. Both teams were content with just letting the first half expire and going into the half nil-nil. Despite the tie game, it was a strong half for the Nittany Lions, and they went into the locker room with a 6-2 lead on shots.

Michigan came out of the break strong, getting two shots off, but both were blocked by the Penn State defense before they could reach the goal. Three fouls were called in the first five minutes of the second half. Two were called on Penn State and one for Michigan. No cards were given out, and no real opportunities came from any of them.

The Wolverines tallied two more shots in quick succession during the 52nd minute. One came on net, but Evans had no problem turning away the chance.

Michigan got a great chance around 15 minutes into the half. Nicholas Cassiday broke into the penalty area and let off a shot that just missed to the right side of the net. Ben Liscum was able to respond with a chance of his own, but his shot was also off target.

Penn State got another opportunity with just over 25 minutes to play. A centering pass was blocked by a diving Goldson to keep the game scoreless.

Goldson saved the Wolverines again in the 68th minute. He made another diving save on a Penn State cross from Morgan Marshall that was received and shot by Bell.

With 20 minutes left in the match, Michigan’s Nick Nobles was given a yellow card for Unsporting behavior after a Wolverine corner kick. In the 79th minute, Michigan got another opportunity after a corner kick, but Nolan Miller’s header sailed over the Penn State goal.

With just over six minutes remaining, Grayson Elmquist broke free for a Wolverines breakaway chance, but a physical play by the Nittany Lions’ defense broke up the opportunity. Elmquist would leave the game with an injury, but after a VAR review, no foul was found on Penn State.

In the final minutes, the Nittany Lions got their final chance of the game. A crossing pass looked promising for Penn State, but it was deflected by the Michigan defense. Neither team was able to reach the back of the net, and the Nittany Lions’ season will end with a scoreless draw.

Takeaways

• Despite the lack of scoring, there were plenty of opportunities for both teams. Both teams finished the game with three shots on goal.
• Penn State showed great fight against a top 10 team. The game was very evenly matched.
• The pouring rain made a substantial difference in the quality of play. Players were slipping and sliding all match.

What’s Next?

After a disappointing season, the Nittany Lions will miss the Big Ten Tournament in back-to-back years.