“This game does mean a bit more” Penn State hosts keystone rival Pitt

Fresh off beating Army 2-1, courtesy of two Olimpico goals by Matthew Henderson and Caden Grabfelder, the Nittany Lions welcome the No. 3 Panthers to Jeffrey field.

Penn State and Pitt met at Ambrose Urbanic Field last season, with the Nittany Lions scraping out a draw. Van Danielson opened the scoring late in the first half for Penn State. The hosts dominated the second half, with Albert Thorsen equalizing for Pitt with ten minutes to go in the match.

Both squads look very different compared to a year ago. Twelve fresh faces wear Nittany Lion blue this season, thirteen new faces wear gold for the Panthers.

Penn State started off the season with a tough 3-0 loss to No. 1 Clemson. Despite the loss the Nittany Lions showed promise. In Sunday’s home opener, Penn State played Army off the pitch.

Penn State head coach Jeff Cook acknowledged it takes a few games to build team cohesion, “We have so many new players that we’re trying to get a better understanding of who fits where and how the team functions best together.”

Despite losing six starters, Pitt has started the season strong defeating No. 16 Georgetown and Mercyhurst, both by a score of 2-0. The Panthers sit pretty in third In the first United Soccer Coaches Poll of the Season.

“We have a lot of respect for their program,” Cook said. “They’ve had great success in the last five, six years in terms of their performance on the field and their NCAA runs. So we know it’s a huge game for both programs.”

Both Penn State and Pitt love to play with the ball. Panthers head coach Jay Vidovich championed a possession philosophy at Wake Forest where he served for 28 years first as an assistant and then as head coach from 1994-2014.

Since taking over the Pitt job, Vidovich has recruited from overseas bringing in players like Arnau Vilamitjana who have experience playing for European academies. Vilamitjana played for FC Barcelona’s academy for four years.

The Nittany Lions' tactics revolve around forcing Pitt to play without the ball.

“Our ability to be effective in possession is going to be crucial,” Cook said, “In other words, I think where we are best is when we manipulate the ball and we’re able to keep possession and move the opponent a little bit.”

Last season, the Panthers sold out Ambrose Urbanic Field, when Penn State came to town. Coach Cook hopes the Park Avenue Army will return the favor.

“It’s a big difference maker. So we want to make this place such a special place for our players and a hard place for our opponents.”

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