Penn State vs. Cornell men’s soccer game grades

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.— Penn State lost to Cornell 3-2 on Monday in a back-and-forth affair.

Morgan Marshall and Caden Grabfelder scored the two goals for the Nittany Lions: Connor Miller and Alex Harris found the back of the net for the Big Red, Harris scoring twice.

Here are the game grades for each positional group.

Goalkeeping C+

Only looking at the score sheet, it seemed Andrew Cooke had a rough night between the sticks. However, Cooke was left to dry on all three goals and made critical saves and clearances throughout the match.

But Cooke deserves some blame for the miscommunication between himself and his backline. Goalkeepers are supposed to be leaders, and there have been multiple games this year in which backline failures have led to chances and goals.

In the Pitt match over a week ago, Cooke and Penn State once again led at the break but struggled defensively in the second half.

Defense D

If you can’t hold leads, you can’t win games.

Defensive breakdowns led to every goal Monday night.

Alioune Ka picked Samuel Ovesen’s pocket on the first goal, which put Mohamed Cisset in a challenging position. As the last man between Harris and goal, Cisset had to bring down the Cornell striker, and the ensuing free kick went in.

Less than 30 seconds later, Marshall ran into the box from his outside back role and scored the equalizer. Marshall’s goal brought the defense's grade up a letter.

On the second goal, Marshall chose not to close down Adam Schaban, whose 30-yard run set up Harris’ goal.

On the third goal, the Nittany Lions couldn’t clear their line from the corner, leading to Marshall bringing down Kisa Kiingi in the box and the penalty kick.

After Penn State’s loss to Pitt at the end of August, head coach Jeff Cook said he was frustrated with the team’s poor defensive communication, which led to the Panthers' two-goal comeback. While the defense took a step forward against Saint Bonaventure, it took two steps back against Cornell.

Midfield B

Malick Daouda and Ben Liscum started the match side by side in the center defensive midfield position. The two midfielders were reasonably effective in slowing down Cornell’s vicious attack, but Cornell quickly switched tactics, playing over the top and on the counter versus Penn State, limiting the involvement of Daouda and Liscum.

Freddie Bell made his season debut in the 38th minute and fared better versus Cornell’s midfield. Bell made multiple key interceptions and was a bright spot in the middle of the park.

Caden Grabfelder returned from suspension after receiving a red card versus Pitt. The winger scored Penn State’s second goal from a free kick that was helped into the net courtesy of a deflection.

Along with scoring, Grabfelder created numerous chances for the Nittany Lions. Grabfelder’s performance was one of the few positives Cook can take away from this performance.

Forwards C-

Chase Oliver and Christian Dionne began the match up top for Penn State. The two strikers combined for one shot, a slow roller that Ryan Friedberg saved easily.

Neither striker could find their feet in this match. Oliver and Dionne were outpaced by Cornell’s center-back Andrew Johnson, forcing the pair to play as hold-up strikers in front of the Big Red backline. Neither player looked comfortable in their impromptu hold-up role.

Coach C-

Penn State’s match against Pitt over a week ago and Monday’s match against Cornell looked very similar.

In both matches, the Nittany Lions led at halftime but fell into a defensive shell in the second half. Both the Panthers and the Big Red furiously attacked Penn State, eventually breaking its defense down.

Once the Nittany Lions surrendered the lead, they couldn’t create opportunities offensively and never worked their way back into the match.

Cook was conservative with his substitutions in the second half, hoping his team on the field could find an answer to Cornell’s relentless pressure. His team couldn’t.

Cook wanted his team to build out of the back by getting the ball to the outside backs and having them skip lines to Dionne and Oliver up top.

However, the two forwards did not succeed in this style of play, and in the second half, Penn State lost all momentum because they couldn’t bring the ball forward in any meaningful way.

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