Penn State Men’s Soccer (1-2-0) fell to rival Pitt (2-1-0) 2-1 at Jeffery Field on Friday.

The Nittany Lions struggled without their head coach Rob Dow after he was suspended following an ejection in the last match.

Penn State looked structured, but a penalty goal and the Pitt midfield proved to be too much for the Nittany Lions in their second loss in a row.

How It Happened

The Nittany Lions started with possession and sent it back to their keeper Daniel Peluffo-Wiese, who belted the ball forward into Panther territory.

A few minutes later, after defending a throw-in, the Panthers launched their first counterattack of the evening. Peffulo-Wiese bravely left his box and cleared the ball into the stands, setting the tone in front of the home crowd for the Nittany Lions.

The following minutes provided a long spell of possession for the Panthers. The Pitt center backs were slicing through the lines of the Penn State press.

A set piece for Pitt from a foul down the right wing saw a dangerous ball fly into Penn State’s box. Peffulo-Wiese launched into the air and punched it out for a corner. Penn State’s defense remained firm, pushing the Panthers back to their own box multiple times.

Forward Luca Sowinski was able to get an interception in a dangerous area. Though he was unable to fire a shot, it showed that the defense’s structure and positioning seemed to be working excellently.

Around minute 20, the Panthers started their longest spell of offense. Penn State’s defensive shape remained strong, forcing consecutive horizontal passes. But the Panthers began to break through.

Following a lovely through ball to their overlapping fullback. Pitt had a great chance on goal, but Peffulo-Wiese’s hands stood strong, clearing it for a corner on an impressive instinctive save.

Penn State played through the middle quickly as they had numbers for the first time on attack all game. Morgan Marshall received the ball on the outside of the box and sent a shot to the bottom right corner, forcing a save from the Pitt keeper.

A minute later, Penn State found itself with another long throw into the box. Amadou Kone collided with the keeper when going up for the header, resulting in an injury timeout. Play was resumed with 20 minutes remaining on the clock.

Kone played a great over-the-top ball to Beckham Brown. With the defender on his back and no clear angle for a great shot, Brown couldn’t keep his shot on target, and it trickled past the right post and out for a goal kick.

Using the goal kick, the Panthers went through the Penn State defense. The wingback for Pitt made an excellent run into the box before he was brought down in the box by the Nittany Lion defender.

After not being called initially, the Panthers challenged and were awarded a penalty kick. Former Nittany Lion Caden Grabfelder slotted it in the bottom corner, sending the keeper the wrong way in the process. A quick point to the badge in front of the student section left Jeffery Field very quiet.

Grabfelder transferred out of Penn State after last year, where he appeared in 16 games for the Nittany Lions. Every touch of his was booed by the crowd, with occasional “traitor!” chants.

Penn State began the climb back right away, putting the Pitt defense on the back foot and playing much more directly. The ball fell to Sam Fielding in the box, and he fired from distance, but it was blocked by a dive from one of the defenders.

The following attack, Nehan Hasan came down the wing and found Noah Forster outside of the box. After a nice hesitation on the ball, he slid past the Pitt defender and fired a shot. The shot was blocked, but it fell to Kone, who fired the equalizer in the 38th minute.

Penn State found itself forcing turnovers for the rest of the half. Many set-piece opportunities and balls were being whipped in, but the final product was still lacking for the Nittany Lions.

Penn State had a corner kick in the 43rd minute. Pitt defended it well, and it led to a counterattack. The Pitt forward just had number Toby Grant to beat. After pushing and shoving as they ran down the field, Grant was able to get his foot in and clear the ball before Pitt could get a shot off. The score remained 1-1 going into halftime.

The same eleven that ended the first half started the second for Penn State. Both teams took turns exchanging shots from distance, testing the goalkeepers in the first few minutes of the half.

On an attempted cross back into the box, the Pitt winger chipped it high into the air. The stadium was at a standstill as everyone realized the ball was tracking towards the net. The crowd held its breath as they watched Peffulo-Wiese’s hands come just short. Anders Bordoy made it 2-1 for the Panthers, as everyone remained stunned by the amazing goal.

Both teams struggled to get a hold of the game for a while after the goal. Multiple reckless fouls, silly turnovers, and poor shot selections followed. Toby Grant was involved in a collision that forced a stop in the game.

Seconds after play resumed, Grant McIntosh came down with an injury and had to be helped off the field. The stoppage allowed both teams to catch their breath and reevaluate tactics, but it was clear that tempers were flaring between the in-state rivals.

Running into a head-on collision with the ball following a corner, Fielding was brought down by a Pitt defender. No penalty was given on the pitch, so Penn State challenged the call in the 29th minute. The challenge was unsuccessful.

With players going down almost every minute, the referee tried to get a better handle on the game by showing Pitt a yellow card for a harsh takedown. Another was given out, this time to Caden Grabfelder. The whistle seemed to be blowing almost every minute; it was nearly impossible for either team to get set up in their offense.

The final five minutes saw multiple attempts at an equalizer for the Nittany Lions. Penn State sent in a good cross from a set piece, but the Pitt defense cleared it, leading to a counterattack. Hasan brought down the ball carrier near the halfway line and received a yellow card.

A fully extended Peffulo-Wiese made an impressive save to keep the score at 2-1. Trying to get the offense moving quickly, Penn State played a risky ball. which led to a turnover. Noah Forster tried to win the ball back with a strong tackle, but instead collided with the Pitt player and received a yellow card with three minutes remaining.

The final chance for Penn State came from a cross from the wing. The ball fell kindly to defender Joe Sheridan, who launched the ball a foot above the left post.

Takeaways

• Both of Pitt’s goals came from down the left wing, where the fullback overlapped.
• The important leadership of coach Rob Dow was missing from the sidelines. The Nittany Lions were unable to control their tempo and emotions, resulting in multiple yellow cards. Penn State committed 20 fouls during the game, whereas Pitt only had seven fouls on the night.
• Pitt dominated possession all night long. The Nittany Lion press and midfield were unable to keep up with the precise passing and intelligent movement.
• Penn State had three shots on goal from seven total shots. Before the game, the Nittany Lions were one of the most accurate teams in the Big Ten; almost 60% of their shots were on target.
• Penn State still leads the all-time series 24-10-4.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will return to the mound early next week to face in-state rivals, Bucknell. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m., Tuesday, September 1. Folks can tune in from home via Big Ten Plus.