Late goal propels Penn State men’s soccer past Wisconsin
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa – A redshirt freshman was Penn State’s hero against Wisconsin. The Nittany Lions defeated the Badgers 1-0 at Jeffrey Field Thursday night to start Big Ten play.
Many players were falling and slipping throughout the game due to a slippery field. Two key Penn State players were injured, Alex Stevenson and Andrew Pivott, who both left the game and didn’t return.
“[Pivot’s] doing okay. We will know more in the morning, but he had an excellent game.” coach Jeff Cook said about Pivott.
Redshirt freshman Van Danielson entered the game because of the injuries. The contest would stay tied at zero up until the 85th minute, where Danielson found the back of the net, giving the Nittany Lions their third win of the season.
Danielson kept the celebration short and was looking ahead towards the team’s next matchup against Maryland
“The first game in the Big Ten is always a big deal. You want to get three points to start, and being able to do that gives us confidence going into Maryland.”
To start the game, Wisconsin controlled the ball, with the Nittany Lions struggling to get out on offense.
As Penn State struggled to get on the right side of the field, it couldn't keep itself from the officials as Peter Mangione and Ben Liscum both had fouls early on.
Wisconsin threatened early in the game with two shots on goal but Penn State goalie Kris Shakes took charge early and denied the Badgers any points.
When Penn State did get some offensive opportunities in the first half, it fell short. Mangione missed a big opportunity on a header where it was hooked to the far right of the goal.
Late in the first half, the Nittany Lions found their groove on offense and threatened Wisconsin with three shots with five minutes to go.
The blue and white completely flipped the script in the second half. It managed to stay on offense for most of the second half while threatening to score many times.
“The first 15 to 20 minutes, we were a little more sluggish and on our backfoot. I think we just had to be persistent,'' Cook said.
Sept. 20, the Nittany Lions will face off against No. 8 Maryland in a huge Big Ten matchup.
Patrick McCaw is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email prm5306@psu.edu.
