Penn State men's soccer earns first Big Ten win of the season after match with Michigan State

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State defeated Michigan State to break its losing streak and take home its first win in Big Ten play.

A late Nittany Lions goal in the 86th minute gave Penn State the lead 2-1. The goal came off a set piece by Penn State. A Spartans yellow card on junior Cristiano Bruletti for unsporting set up junior Matthew Henderson to take the kick, with freshman Malick Daouda punching it in for the goal.

“We knew we had to bounce back today, and it’s really amazing to win today,” Daouda said, recounting on the Nittany Lions' win.

Penn State came into the game having lost their past three games in a row. Penn State fell short in their game against Ohio State on Tuesday, losing 5-0.

“We had a tough week last week,” Jeff Cook said postgame. “To show that kind of character, and quality to produce a performance like that. I feel really proud of them, and also that we deserved to win tonight’s match.”

It was a back-and-forth game to start in the first half. Michigan struck first with a goal by junior Jonathan Stout, assisted by senior Shion Soga to put the Spartans up late in the first half.

Penn State would not be put down, as they opened the second half with an early goal by graduate student Aboubacar Camara assisted by junior Christian Dionne to tie the game at one apiece.

“That’s the best game control we’ve had. And I said, stick to the plan, basically not anything overly sophisticated on my part,” Cook said on the team’s strategy going into the second half. “I thought we would create chances. We did that.”

The Nittany Lions created chances, indeed, breaking through Spartans’ goalie, redshirt junior Zac Kelly, who had four saves on the night.

Daouda saw red during Penn State’s game against Michigan, forcing him to sit out against Ohio State. He was suspended from the and forced to watch from the sideline. Daouda was hungry to play against Michigan State, and he proved a key component in the Penn State win. His goal late in the game secured the win for the Nittany Lions.

“He’s such a threat, the distance he covers, I thought it was a top-level central midfield performance from Malick tonight,” Cook said on Douda’s performance and character. “He’s an unbelievable character, and I’m really delighted he’s wearing a Penn State uniform.”

Penn State now sits with a record of 3-5 and will be on the road Tuesday in New York to play St. John’s who has a record of 2-3-3.

Anneke Wagner is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email amw7793@psu.edu.