Privett Powers Penn State Past Maryland in Overtime Thriller

Story posted October 27, 2021 in CommRadio, Sports by Maclain Young

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Under unwelcoming weather conditions, Penn State upset No. 7 Maryland 3-2 in overtime.

Penn State battled back from two goals down in the Nittany Lions’ final home game of the regular season.

“What our group of players achieved tonight is next to impossible, but in the second half even 2-1 down I’ve never been as confident that we would come back,” Penn State head coach Jeff Cook said.

The Terrapins struck first when sophomore Ben Bender finished a great chance using the outside of his foot. The goal came after Bender was recently named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week when he tallied two goals over Maryland’s games.

It did not take long for the Terrapins to double their lead as Caden Stafford barely got one over the line despite a strong effort from Penn State goalkeeper Kris Shakes. 

After a quick replay review, the goal was confirmed, and the Nittany Lions trailed 2-0.

However, Penn State stayed resilient as Peter Mangione cut the lead in half just before halftime. Mangione received the ball on the edge of the 6-yard box and slotted it into the top of the net for his sixth goal of the season.

Penn State controlled a lot of the ball early in the second half and had a major chance around the 60-minute mark.

Seth Kuhn stepped into a shot just outside of the 18-yard box that rang off the crossbar and out of play, nearly tying the game at two.

The Nittany Lions stayed aggressive throughout the second half to the point where Kuhn received a yellow card in the 65th minute.

The Lions were not done hitting the woodwork when Pierre Reedy’s shot clattered off the bottom of the crossbar and nearly in for the tying goal. After a stoppage of play, the referee took a look to see if the ball crossed the goal line, but the call on the field was upheld.

The Nittany Lions pressure finally paid off when Mangione found a wide-open Kuhn for the game tying goal in the 72nd minute.

The goal was Kuhn’s first of the season, going along with his earlier assist and yellow card for an eventful night.

“I think it’s a desperation to win,” Cook said of Kuhn. “He’s a competitor so he’s looking for advantages.”

Penn State kept up the pressure for the rest of the half but was unable to find a winner as the match headed to extra time.

The Nittany Lions were given a free kick just outside the 18-yard box when Maryland’s Stafford committed a foul.

Andrew Privett fired a deflected shot that rolled into the bottom left corner of the net, scoring the golden goal, and upsetting the No. 7 Maryland Terrapins.

“I think we create our own luck and it actually came up, we worked on it in training the last couple of weeks and it was the perfect spot to pull it out,” Privett said.

The win broke Penn State’s three-game losing streak and clinched at least one home match for the Nittany Lions in the Big Ten Tournament.

“It’s win or go home at this point, so to put us in a position to possibly get a ring is massive,” Privett said.

 

Maclain Young is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email macyoung21@gmail.com.