Penn State men's soccer walks off Rutgers in the 90th minute

In the most epic game of the season, Penn State jumped back into the win column with a 2-1 win over Rutgers by way of a 90th-minute finisher by Aboubacar Camara.

The Nittany Lions, wearing their throwback pink and black colors, were able to get two shots on Rutgers keeper Ciaran Dalton in the first 45 minutes of the contest. Their best chance came off a corner kick in the 20th minute, where Dalton scooped the ball very nicely on a perfectly timed jumping save.

Ola Maeland and Illia Tyrkus were able to get a pair of shots on goal for the Scarlet Knights, with both shots being deflected by Penn State goalkeeper Andrew Cooke and eventually cleared out by the Nittany Lion defense.

Penn State broke the ice very early into the second half, with Aboubacar Camara getting just enough on a Michael Hewes cross to put the Nittany Lions up 1-0 in the 49th minute. Camara’s goal, which barely crossed the goal line, was his third of the season.

Rutgers was able to tie the game back up in the 64th minute, when forward Ian Abbey whipped in a cross from the left sideline which found defender Nick Collins’ left foot amongst a sea of Penn State defenders.

In the last 30 seconds of the game, Penn State created a chance which resulted in a contested ball at the feet of Christian Dionne. Dionne was originally given a yellow card for embellishment, which was met with outrage from the Nittany Lion bench and fan base.

The referees looked to the video board to make the final call, which clearly showed that Dionne was not in fact looking for a call, and was fouled studs up inside the penalty box.

“I thought it was very harsh,” Coach Cook said when asked about the last-second yellow card.

“He’s smart enough to know to not go down in the box there,” Cook later added.

As the fans waited on a game-shifting decision, the referees made the correct call and gave Penn State the penalty, as well as revoking the yellow card on Dionne.

The discussion about who was going to take the penalty was easy. It would be no other than Aboubacar Camara, who put the Nittany Lions up 1-0 in the 50th minute.

“That’s pre-determined.” “We have a very detailed process that we go through three times a week, and we go through the order depending on who’s on the field,” Cook said when asked about the decision to put the game in Camara's hands.

As the Nittany Lion faithful held their breaths and were trying to shake off the thoughts of a three-straight draw, Camara stepped up and comfortably slotted the ball to the right of Rutgers goalkeeper Ciaran Dalton.

The Nittany Lion crowd erupted in the only way they knew how, loud roars for the home team.

“We need this win to get back on track,” Camara said.

“I was so happy to be able to score both of those goals for my team,” he later added.

This game was simply a treat for everyone in attendance. The level of play elevated to a playoff atmosphere once Rutgers tied up the game in the second half. Penn State has had a season filled with plenty of losses and draws, so this win is key as they go into their second half of conference games for the rest of the season.

The Nittany Lions look to keep up their winning ways against Indiana on Friday, and will make their final push to get to the top of the Big Ten standings.

Will Harrison is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email wbh5205@psu.edu.