PENN STATE HEADS TO RUTGERS FOR B1G MATCH
Following a week off the pitch from competition, the Penn State men’s soccer team will trek to Piscataway, New Jersey for a Big Ten Conference match with the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers Sunday, Oct. 22 at 1 p.m.
CATCHING THE GAME FROM HOME
Fans who are unable to make the trip with the Nittany Lions to Piscataway, New Jersey can catch all the action live on BTN Plus with a paid subscription. Fans can also follow along with live stats on ScarletKnights.com or follow along with live updates on Penn State men’s soccer Twitter at @PennStateMSOC.
SERIES HISTORY WITH THE SCARLET KNIGHTS
Penn State holds the narrow 11-8-0 lead over Rutgers in the all-time series and are 3-0 since the Scarlet Knights joined the Big Ten Conference in the 2014 campaign. Last season, the match came down to the wire against Rutgers when the Nittany Lions earned a 3-2 double overtime victory on an Aymar Sigue goal in the 107th minute of the match at Jeffrey Field. Penn State is 4-6-0 all-time in Scarlet Knight territory but most recently earned the 2-0 win in Piscataway, New Jersey in the 2015 campaign. Finally, head coach Bob Warming is 1-1 against Rutgers on the road in his tenue at Penn State.
SCOUTING RUTGERS
The Scarlet Knights have a 4-10-1 overall record and are looking for their first win in Big Ten play as they have a 0-7-0 record in league action. Most recently, Rutgers earned a 4-1 win in non-conference play against Lafayette at home. RU has played a slew of the top teams in the nation with five teams ranked in the top-25 this season on its schedule.
As a team, the Scarlet Knights have scored 19 goals but have given up 38 to opponents. Erik Sa and Ryan Peterson lead the offensive attack with three goals and one assist each. Miles Hackett, Ethan Decker and Thomas Dovell have each contributed multiple goals this season with two each, while Dante Perez and Kyle Galloway have two assists apiece.
In net, Rafael Pereira has had his name called for all 15 matches this season with a 2.66 goals against average and a .670 save percentage. Pereira has faced more shots than any other goalkeeper in the Big Ten, leading the conference with 77 saves and 5.10 saves per game.
BECKFORD NAMED TOP-100 FRESHMEN BY TOPDRAWERSOCCER.COM
Freshman Ethan Beckford was named to TopDrawerSoccer.com’s Freshman Top 100 Rankings for Division I men’s soccer. The Manchester, England native has played 868 minutes in 11 starts in his first year on the pitch for the Blue and White. Beckford ties for a team-high two goals and has put 13 of his 22 shots on goal for a .591 shots on goal percentage this season.
RAINY DAY IN EAST LANSING TRIPS UP NITTANY LIONS
In a match that would see the first goal scored as the winning team with heavy rain falling, it was the No. 6 Spartans of Michigan State who would take the 1-0 win over Penn State in the Big Ten Conference match. The Nittany Lions managed nine shots on the day but were unable to find the net, while the Spartans took 11 shots with one goal. Redshirt-freshman goalkeeper Josh Levine made four saves on the day, while Callum Pritchatt, Aaron Molloy and Ryan Gallagher all took two shots for the Blue and White.
BIG TEN TOURNAMENT TO BE HELD AT GRAND PARK
The Big Ten Men’s Soccer Tournament will take place at Grand Park in Westfield, Indiana, as announced by the Big Ten. The men’s semifinals and championship game are set for Nov. 10 and 12. Last year, the Big Ten Men’s Soccer Tournament semifinals and championship game were played at the facility for the first time, with Maryland earning a 2-1 victory over Wisconsin in the final.
NEXT TIME OUT
Penn State concludes its four-match road trip Wednesday, Oct. 25 when it travels to Harrisonburg, Virginia for a mid-week match against James Madison. The two teams will meet up at 7 p.m.
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