Penn State soccer vs. Pitt game grades

The Penn State Nittany Lions fell to the Pitt Panthers Friday night at Jeffrey Field. Penn State held a 1-0 lead at halftime, but Pitt equalized in the 60th minute and took a 2-1 lead in the 65th minute, which it would hold until full time.

Here are the game grades for each positional group from the match.

Goalkeeping B+

Andrew Cooke got the nod in this match ahead of Fredrick Grundin. The graduate keeper made two saves in the first half and came off his line several times to make key clearances.

Neither of the goals was Cooke's fault.

The first goal was a penalty given up by Mohamed Cisset, converted by Guilherme Feitosa. The second goal was a Casper Svendby header from two yards away that Cooke could do nothing about.

Defenders C

Cisset and Jack Bonas were first to every ball in the box in the first half. The center backs kept Pitt's attackers in front of them, and Cooke easily claimed the few shots that reached the goal.

However, Penn State's defense got casual in the second 45, and Pitt capitalized on its mistakes. Cisset's poor challenge led to Feitosa's equalizer from the spot, and the marking wasn't tight enough on Svendby, whose free header at the back post sealed the match for the Panthers.

Eighty-eight minutes of top-notch defending, two mistakes, 2-1 loss.

Midfield C-

Malick Daouda and Ben Liscum dealt with Arnau Vilamitjana, Casper Grening and Feitosa, three of the best midfielders in collegiate soccer. The two holding midfielders played their hearts out.

Penn State employed a gegenpress, or counterpress, style of play against Pitt. Whenever the Nittany Lions lost the ball, the team immediately pressed whichever Panther player had the ball in an attempt to quickly win it back.

A lot of the time, that job fell to Daouda and Liscum, who caused a number of midfield turnovers that led to Penn State counter-attacks.

The two midfielders frustrated Pitt throughout the night, performing the thankless but necessary role of slowing down the Panther attack.

Michael Hewes and Caden Grabfelder anchored the flanks in head coach Jeff Cook's 5-4-1 formation. Both players love to go forward but were forced to help defensively for most of the match as Pitt kept Penn State on the back foot.

Both players had moments going forward but couldn't display their offensive prowess due to the Panther's relentless pressure.

The midfield grade was also dropped due to Grabfelder's frustrating foul late in the match, which saw the sophomore sent off. Grabfelder will miss the game against Saint Bonaventure due to a red card suspension.

Forwards C-

For large portions of the match, starting striker Chase Oliver was left isolated up top. Despite that, the graduate student did surprisingly well in creating chances for himself, particularly by intercepting slow passes from the Pitt back line to Cabral Carter.

However, the striker couldn't find the back of the net from these opportunities, and as the saying goes, if you don't score, you don't win.

One goal isn't going to cut it against a team like Pitt, and Penn State needs to improve its finishing in a match like this, where chances will be few and far between.

Coaching B+

Coach Cook's game plan was clear and well-executed.

The Nittany Lions pressed the Panthers, making it hard for them to operate with the ball. Penn State was compact, forcing the Panthers wide, which gave its back line a better chance of dealing with Pitt's attackers.

Subs, particularly Christian Dionne, scored the lone goal for the Nittany Lions in the match.

The only head-scratching decision Jeff Cook made in this match was substituting Conor Clair for Jack Bonas with under a minute to go. The clock did not stop for the substitution, and Cook wasted a valuable 30 seconds, which meant Penn State did not have time to launch one last attack.

However, the NCAA rules around substitutions are incredibly convoluted, and it's hard to completely fault Cook for that mistake.

Owen Cameros is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email ohc5024@psu.edu.