Penn State Men’s Soccer Falls to No. 3 Maryland

Penn State men’s soccer (1-3-2, 0-2-0 Big Ten) couldn’t grab its first Big Ten victory of the season as No. 3 Maryland came to Jeffrey Field and won, 2-0.

The Terrapins (6-0-1, 2-0-1 Big Ten) rallied behind a pair of second-half goals from Sebastian Elny and Eryk Williamson to take the fifth annual Mack Brady Match.

How It Happened

Penn State opened up Sunday’s match with good ball control against the Terrapins. Playing an overall defensive first half, both teams created several dangerous chances.

Maryland midfielders Jake Rozhansky and Amar Sejdic nearly scored on Penn State, but Nittany Lions goalkeeper Evan Finney was able to block both shots. Penn State’s Sam Bollinger had his chance on a corner kick, but Maryland’s defense was able to clear his header off the goal line to send the game into halftime scoreless.

Starting off the second half, Maryland fired several shots at Penn State, but saves from Finney kept the match scoreless until the 49th minute when Terrapins forward Sebastian Elney finished Eryk Williamson’s cross. Penn State was penalized twice in the second half, including a yellow card for the Nittany Lions’ Aaron Molloy, and a red card for Ethan Beckford.

Penn State almost equalized when Christian Sload connected with Aaron Molloy’s corner kick, but Maryland’s defense was able to block the shot. Despite several acrobatic saves, goalkeeper Evan Finney allowed Williamson to score on a breakaway in the last two minutes of the game, sealing the victory for Maryland.

Player Of The Match

Evan Finney | Senior | Goalkeeper

Despite the loss to the Terrapins, Finney’s persistence and impressive defense helped Penn State stay in the game.

What’s Next

The Nittany Lions will be back at Jeffrey Field at 7 p.m. on Wednesday to face off with Detroit Mercy.