UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's soccer team (5-1-0, 5-1-0 Big Ten) will host the Wisconsin Badgers (1-5-1, 1-5-1 Big Ten) on Saturday, March 27 in the regular-season home finale at Jeffrey Field. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. and will be streamed live on Big Ten Network+. The program will also honor three of its seniors postgame, presented by the Penn State Alumni Association.
GAME INFORMATION
- Date: Saturday, March 27, 2021 | Time: 2 p.m.
- Location: University Park, Pa. | Venue: Jeffrey Field
- Live Stats: GoPSUsports.com | Watch: Big Ten Network+ ($)
PENN STATE AGAINST WISCONSIN
- Penn State and Wisconsin face off Saturday for the 36th time in program history. The Nittany Lions lead the all-time series over the Badgers, 20-12-3.
- Last season, Penn State and Wisconsin met twice, once during the regular season and again in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament.
- The Nittany Lions won in Madison in Oct. 2019, 2-1, and then again, 3-0, on Jeffrey Field in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.
- Callum Pritchatt, Liam Butts and Josh Dabora are the returning goal scorers from those two games last season, while Jalen Watson, Seth Kuhn and Andrew Privett added assists. Goalkeeper Kris Shakes won both games in net.
SCOUTING WISCONSIN
- The Wisconsin Badgers are led by 10th-year head coach John Trask. They are 1-5-1 nearing the last few games of the regular season.
- Junior Andrew Akindele leads the Badgers with a team-high four points on two goals. Freshman Murat Calkap paces the team with two assists.
- In net, graduate student Sven Kleinhans has played the most minutes at 504:26 and has 12 saves with a 2.50 goals-against average. Sophomore Carter Abbott started the most recent game in between the pipes for the Badgers against Ohio State, making five saves and holding a clean sheet for the victory in his first career start. He was named Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts.
SENIOR DAY
- Postgame Saturday, Penn State will honor three of the program's seniors, presented by the Penn State Alumni Association: Dax Hoffman, Jose Palomeque, and Nicholas Rieple.
HE'S THE MAN-GIONE
- Freshman midfielder/forward Peter Mangione has had quite the first year as a collegiate soccer player.
- The Hunt Valley, Md., native has three goals this season, all-game winners. He also has an assist for seven total points.
- Mangione is first in the conference and sixth in the nation with his three game-winners.
SHAKE YOUR GROOVE THING
- Sophomore goalkeeper Kris Shakes is getting back in form in between the pipes, posting back-to-back shutouts for the Nittany Lions against Northwestern and Ohio State.
- Shakes has posted two-straight shutouts twice now in his career, doing so last season against Stetson (9/8/19) and Villanova (9/13/19).
- Shakes holds a 1.00 goals-against average and a .800 save percentage.
- He is 4-0-0 in net this season to move to 13-1-0 in his young career.
NEXT TIME OUT
Penn State will close out the regular season on the road at Maryland on Wednesday, March 31. The game is set for a 5 p.m. kickoff from College Park and will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network, the Nittany Lions' third nationally televised game of the season.