Penn State continues to show some offensive struggle against in-state rival

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State Nittany Lions fell short, 2 - 1 after the No. 3 Pittsburgh Panthers had a strong two-goal second half led by Guilherme Feitosa and Casper Svendby.

The Panthers racked up a total of 13 shots while Penn State only had five to their name.

Once again, the Nittany Lions got off to a slow start and struggled to generate any offensive chances throughout the first half while Pitt stood strong and managed to control the ball for the majority of the time.

However, Penn State was able to find a weak spot in the Panther’s defense after Pitt defenseman Jackson Gilman fouled Ben Madore right outside their own goal box.

Madore crossed the ball right in front of the net which was deflected back towards the top of the box. Forward Christian Dionne attacked the ball and shot it to the left of Cabral Carter to capitalize on their only shot of the half to take a late 1 - 0 lead.

Penn State’s short burst of momentum appeared to stall out in the second as Pitt once again showed strong possession of the ball.

The Panthers evened the score at one nearly 15 minutes into the second half after they were awarded a penalty kick on a Penn State foul. Feitosa easily booted the ball past a diving Andrew Cooke.

They followed that up with another goal just five minutes later.

A beautifully placed cross found Svendby at the back post for an easy tap-in goal to take the lead, 2-1.

Penn State began to play more aggressively as the clock was ticking down, but Pitt continued its dominant performance and was able to keep the ball away from the Nittany Lions for most of the half to defeat them, 2-1.

The Nittany Lions are scheduled to square off against the St. Bonaventure Bonnies at Jeffrey Field on Monday, Sep. 2 with kickoff set for 5:00 p.m.

Carlin Whalen is a fourth-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email cjw6426@psu.edu.