Penn State men’s soccer (2-7-1, 0-5-1 Big Ten) tied Michigan (3-4-3, 0-2-2) 0-0 under the lights in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Friday night.

With plenty of great chances, neither team was able to find the back of the net. Although the goal it was looking for never came, Penn State played a strong 90 minutes in Big Ten play.

How It Happened

The Wolverines won possession off of Penn State’s ball following kickoff. They were able to maintain possession for the opening few minutes, including many good crosses into the box that couldn’t get on the end of an attacker.

Penn State’s defensive line stayed strong, denying more crosses flying towards the box and clearing them. Eventually, a clearance led to Penn State’s first breakthrough. Etienne Reck fired the ball towards net, forcing the Wolverine keeper to lunge to get the hit ball over the bar.

Michigan responded with a chance of their own seconds later in the 11th minute. Daniel Peluffo-Wiese stayed low to the ground, a relatively comfortable save for his first on the night. The Wolverines continued to apply pressure, as a low-driven cross came in and was hit in stride towards the side netting of the goal.

They continued to knock on the door through the half. Michigan’s leading scorer Mayson Elmquist received a through ball behind the back line. Junior defender Adrian Recinos recovered well, and contested the shot enough for Elmquist to send it just wide of the left post.

The game grew a bit more hostile midway through the first half. The packed-out Michigan crowd let the Nittany Lions hear it all night long, especially after a loose ball was sent flying towards the spectators. Ten fouls were committed between the Big Ten rivals in the first 35 minutes of the game.

Both teams took turns booting the ball from keeper to keeper, hoping that a loose 50/50 ball would come their way. Eventually, they started landing in Penn State’s favor. Noah Förster bravely won an aerial duel and picked up the ball in his own half, darting 20 yards forward. He sent in a cross that found Reck, whose shot was blocked before it reached goal.

In the later stages of the half, Penn State did a much better job of maintaining meaningful possession. Winning tackles in Wolverine territory, the Nittany Lions piled pressure on Michigan’s defense, as their whole team tracked back to their own half for a few minutes. One cross came that was only cleared as far as Grant McIntosh, who attempted to chip the goal keeper.

A beautiful chip from a difficult angle, the ball headed towards the net before it was cleared off the line by Michigan’s Will Baker for a corner. Penn State had five corners in the first half, but could not convert from any.

Vladislav Cherny and Recinos both sent shots just wide before the 40th minute. The Wolverines hunkered down, as Penn State continued to take its time and find the right passes, leading to a few more chances.

The majority of the passes targeted Reck, but he couldn’t find the right shot as Michigan’s box remained very crowded. Reck was given the match’s first yellow card following a late tackle two minutes before the whistle blew.

In a half dominated by possesion for the Nittany Lions, neither team found the back of the net. The score remained 0-0.

The second half started and picked up right where the game left off. A loose ball was sent into the Michigan student section, stopping play for a few minutes. The Michigan players did not take lightly to this, as pushing and shoving ensued. Michigan defended the following Penn State set piece well.

The Nittany Lion midfield picked up every loose ball that came its way, and had one line-splitting ball to Amadou Kone. Kone took a few step-overs and fired a shot that was blocked by a Wolverine defender. Michigan took that clearance and quickly and started the counter. Noah Andreas stopped the counter by committing a foul, which the referee deemed worthy of a yellow card.

Two Nittany Lions on yellow cards did not stop Penn State from pursuing the opening goal. Kone came streaking down the wing and found an open Recinos, who flicked the ball back post. Andreas came crashing into the box, lunging his foot forward only for the shot to fly over the bar. The best chance of the night so far.

Ten minutes into the second half, Michigan was able to string together some possession. The Nittany Lion wingers did a great job of tracking back and preventing any clear-cut chances for the Wolverines.

Around the 60th minute, a potential penalty from a Michigan defender bringing down a Nittany Lion in the box was checked. In the end, the referee decided to not give a penalty.

After the pause in play, Michigan came out hot. Michigan forward Jake Tatch fired a low-driven rocket to the bottom left corner. Peluffo-Wiese dove low, saving the shot and sending it back into play before a rebound shot flew over bar.

Reck had a good opportunity in the 65th minute, forcing a wonderful save from the Michigan goalkeeper. Penn State continued to pile pressure, winning the ball deep in Michigan territory and winning a corner. Before the corner, a potential penalty was checked, but nothing came.

When the corner finally was taken, it was pinball around before Peter Doran headed it towards goal. Isaiah Goldston made an impressive reflex save, denying Penn State yet again from scoring off of a great chance.

One more chance came after a Morgan Marshall cross into Reck. After a lot of contact in the box, neither Reck or the Michigan defender came away with the ball. Reck appealed for a handball, causing the referee to go to monitor for the third time in the second half. The referee found no foul or handball in the box.

Michigan began slowing down the game, letting its attack get into positions. Joao Paulo Ramos sent a shot over the bar. Elmquist gave the Nittany Lions trouble all night long, sending multiple creative passes into the Penn State box.

The Wolverines continued to pile pressure. Joe Sheridan slipped in the midfield and it looked like the Wolverines were on the brink of scoring the opening goal. The final pass was a bit too forward, as Penn State was able to breath a huge sigh of relief.

The relief was short-lived, as on the following corner Guy Michaeli sent a thundering header that was just wide of the far post. Both teams looked like they could score any second.

The crowd came alive as the game was still scoreless heading into the 80th minute. The Nittany Lions defended two more corners in two minutes, denying any clear-cut chance for Michigan.

The last opportunity of the game for either team came in the 89th minute, when a near-post rocket that was handled well by Peluffo-Wiese. The whistle blew, ending an entertaining, but goalless draw in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Takeaways

• It was the second consecutive scoreless draw between the Big Ten rivals, as they tied in last season’s finale at Jeffrey Field.
• Penn State outshot Michigan 14-13 and outshot it on goal 4-3.
• Etienne Reck led Penn State with four shots and two shots on goal in 76 minutes. Much of the attack tonight was centered around Penn State’s leading goal-scorer.
• Daniel Peluffo-Wiese continued to maintain an average of three saves per game, the fourth-most in the Big Ten.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will take the pitch again next week, as they travel to face Northwestern at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, October 18. Folks can watch from home on Big Ten Plus.