Penn State men's soccer returns home with Ohio State on the horizon

The Nittany Lions return back home after a one-game road trip to Ann Arbor this past Friday.

The Wolverines were able to outlast Jeff Cook’s squad 2-1. The lone goal scorer for Penn State came away from Aboubacar Camara. The goal was the first of the season for the graduate student from Kentucky.

Bryce Blevins was the key factor for Michigan, scoring both of the team’s goals in their fifth victory of the season.

This Tuesday the road to getting three wins on the year gets harder for the blue and white. Tuesday at 6 p.m., they welcome the No. 12 ranked team in the country, the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Ohio State has yet to lose a game in regulation so far this season, with a 5-0-1 record in non-conference play.

The star talent of forwards David Ajagbe and Michael Adedokun will be key if the Buckeyes are to come out victorious in this one. They both have three goals each to start off the season, which shows the offensive pursuit that they play with.

Ohio State hosted the Nittany Lions last season, in a game where Penn State thoroughly dominated the Buckeyes in that matchup. They won that matchup 3-0 in one of the first games to open Big Ten play.

In this year’s rendition of the battle against the Buckeyes, watch out for Penn State midfielder Freddie Bell.

Bell started his season off by playing against Cornell last Monday night. And after assisting on the Penn State goal against Michigan in the last matchup, he should be seeing more playing time as the Nittany Lions enter Big Ten play.

The sophomore is not new to getting starting time in big games, considering the fact that he started in 10 of the 16 games he appeared in as a freshman.

Cook appears to gain confidence in Bell day by day, and he should be a factor in many games moving forward this season.

Ohio State enters this game as a strong overall team, defensively as well.

Patrick McLaughlin and Max Trejo have both started three games a piece, however, McLaughlin appears to be the stronger goalie for coach Brian Maisonneuve.

McLaughlin has allowed one goal combined in all three of his starts. Penn State will definitely have to push up front against the Buckeyes, who pose a strong defensive unit.

Following the Tuesday matchup, Michigan State comes to town on Friday to close out the two-game Big Ten homestand.

Giustino Racchini is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, you can email him at gar5448@psu.edu.