Penn State Men’s Soccer Weekly Preview

Penn State men’s soccer plays two games in the upcoming week against out-of-conference opponent Howard and Big Ten rival Michigan State.

The Nittany Lions come into the week with a 5-2-1 (2-0 Big Ten) record and face off against the winless Howard Bisons on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Jeffrey Field. The blue and white then take a trip to East Lansing on Saturday to face the undefeated Spartans on their home turf with a 3 p.m. kickoff.

The Nittany Lions enter the week on a three-game win streak after Big Ten victories over Ohio State (3-0) and Maryland (1-0) to kick off their conference schedule. Penn State comes in ranked second in the Big Ten in goals per game with 1.75 led by fifth-year senior Liam Butts and senior Peter Mangione who both have three goals so far in the young season.

Butts was recently elected to the National Team of the Week after his hat trick against Ohio State, as well as earning his first Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week Award of the season.

Senior goalkeeper Kris Shakes leads the conference in saves with 34 so far and took home the first two Big Ten Defensive Player of Week Awards, along with an NCAA Player of the Week Award.

On Wednesday Night, Howard travels into Jeffrey Field led by junior Marcus Lewis who has scored one of only three goals through six games for the struggling Bisons squad. With an average of almost three and a half goals given up a game, this might be another strong outing for Butts and the surging Penn State attack.

Look for Butts and Mangione to net a goal each as well as Van Danielson to find the back of the net for the first time since August 28 against Le Moyne.

After the Wednesday Night game, the Nittany Lions will be tested on Saturday as they travel to East Lansing, Michigan to face the No. 22 Spartans who have yet to lose a game at home this season, coming into the week a perfect 3-0 in DeMartin Stadium.

Led by junior midfielder Sean Kerrigan’s three goals and sophomore goalie Zac Kelly’s 26 saves (ranked second in the conference), the Spartan squad is sure to test the Lions’ starting XI.

Kelly claimed the last two Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week Awards after Shakes claimed the first two, with high expectations for the two a-tier keepers. Kelly and Shakes both sit atop the Big Ten in terms of goals allowed having given up four and five goals respectively, so look for a low-scoring game with the two squads being separated by a goal or two at most.

It is also important to watch the strength of the Penn State defense this week, as Shakes and his defense have only allowed five goals so far and are looking to keep form before their looming matchup with Northwestern in the coming weeks.

The Nittany Lion's head coach Jeff Cook recently won his 50th game as a head coach with his total now up to 51 after Penn State’s latest win over UNCG. With eight games remaining in the regular season along with the Big Ten tournament come November, Cook could overcome the 60-win mark by the end of this season.

Jeremy Rose is a freshman studying broadcast journalism. To contact him email jrose0531@gmail.com.