UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Penn State men's soccer kicks off its regular season home slate on Sunday, Aug. 27 when they host Le Moyne in an afternoon matchup at Jeffrey Field. Kickoff between the Nittany Lions and the Dolphins is set for 4 p.m. and will be streamed on B1G+.
Penn State looks for its first win of the season after an even 1-1 draw to the number five team in the country, Pittsburgh, on Thursday night. The Nittany Lions came away with one point in a tough road game.
GAME INFORMATION
vs. Le Moyne
- Date: Sunday, Aug. 27, 2023 | Time: 4 p.m. ET
- Location: University Park Pa. | Venue: Jeffrey Field
- Live Stats | Watch:B1G+ | Notes
- Admission: Free
Parking Information
Parking for all Penn State Athletics' non-football events will require a valid permit or payment of the applicable parking fee for campus lots. Fans with valid Penn State University Park parking permits will be permitted to park at non-football athletics events for free, following Transportation Services parking policies and access.
Spectators can park in Stadium West parking lot for Penn State men's soccer games. Visitors can prepay for parking at a rate of $5.50/game through ParkMobile. The day-of-event rate will be $10/game. Prepayment is required by 11:59pm the night before the event to receive a discounted rate ($5.50/game).
LAST TIME OUT
- Penn State tested no. 5 Pittsburgh on its home turf on Thursday night with a 1-1 final score.
- Van Danielson notched his fifth goal of his career in the final minutes of the first half. Sean Bettenhausen was responsible for the service that led Danielson to outrun the Panthers defender and send the ball past the keeper.
- Pittsburgh equalized the score with just over 10 minutes to play in the game.
- Four Nittany Lions freshmen made their collegiate debuts, Freddie Bell, Caden Grabfelder, Samson Kpardeh and Mohamed Cisset. Bell and Grabfelder earned a starting spot.
- The tie score was the first one in the series with the Panthers since 1976.
NITTANY LIONS IN THE RANKS
- Peter Mangione, Femi Awodesu and Kris Shakes were named Big Ten Players to Watch ahead of the 2023 campaign. This is Mangione's third consecutive year receiving the nod and Awodesu's second.
- Mangione was also selected as a Forward to Watch by United Soccer Coaches and came in at no. 25 in Top Drawer Soccer's Top-100 Players for the preseason.
SCOUTING THE DOLPHINS
- Le Moyne enters the 2023 season in their first year as a member of the Northeast Conference (NEC) after transitioning from the Division II Northeast-10 Conference (NE10).
- The Dolphins finished the 2022 season with a 7-6-6 record and a 7th place finish in the NE10.
- In the 2022 NE10 Championship, Le Moyne advanced to the championship game before falling to Franklin-Pierce University, the eventual NCAA Division II National Champion.
- Long time Dolphins Head Coach Tom Bonus retired before the 2023 season finishing with a record of 249-136-37 with Le Moyne in 22 seasons at the helm. Interim Head Coach Callum Donnelly, a former player and assistant coach, will be making his head coaching debut against the Nittany Lions.
- Le Moyne returns midfielder Cameron Stuart who led the Dolphins in goals (6) and assists (4) a season ago.
2023 PREVIEW
Strong Schedule
- Penn State has no shortage of tough opponents throughout the fall, playing the top-two teams at the end of the 2022 season, Syracuse and Indiana. Five of the Nittany Lions opponents finished last season in the top-25 and in the 2023 preseason poll.
No Place Like Happy Valley
- Four Nittany Lions return home to use their fifth year of eligibility at Penn State.
- Starting goalkeeper Kris Shakes makes his return for a final season with eyes from the Big Ten on him as he was named a Preseason Player to Watch.
- 2023 MLS SuperDraft pick Liam Butts made the decision to return for a fifth season in Happy Valley while pursuing a second undergraduate degree. Butts is a major component of the Nittany Lions offense and brings strength and speed to the attack.
- Alex Stevenson, a key to the Nittany Lions in both the defense and midfield, joins the blue & white one last time while he completes a second undergraduate degree.
- Owen Elliott will graduate this fall while playing a fifth season at Penn State. The keeper brings experience and leadership to the program as a veteran player.
2023 Newcomers
- Penn State welcomed ten incoming freshmen throughout the off season. Among the ten newcomers is no. 6 ranked Mohamed Cisset. He joins the rest of head coach Jeff Cook's recruiting class as the no. 10 ranked recruiting class in the country this year.
- In addition to the new athletes, Cook added two new faces to his staff. Assistant Coach Sean Lawlor joins the Nittany Lions coaching staff after his four-year stint at the 2022 National Champions Syracuse. Oscar Umar, a Villanova graduate, came to Penn State this spring after spending two seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Washington University in St. Louis. Lawlor and Umar join Clint Long as he enters his fourth season as an assistant coach of the Nittany Lions.
2023 Captains
- Seniors Peter Mangione and Femi Awodesu were named the 2022 captains.
2022 IN REVIEW
- The Nittany Lions finished the 2022 campaign ranked fifth in the Big Ten with an overall record of 6-4-4 and a conference record of 3-2-3.
- Penn State earned ranked wins against no. 18 West Virginia and no. 15 Akron on Senior Day.
- Six Nittany Lions received Big Ten postseason honors. Peter Mangione and Seth Kuhn earned first team All-Big Ten, Femi Awodesu and Liam Butts earned second team and Ben Liscum and Matthew Henderson landed on the All-Freshman team.
- Mangione (second team), Kuhn (third team) and Awodesu (third team) garnered All-North Region as well.
- Mangione led the team in goals with eight and points with 18 for the second time in his career as a Nittany Lion.
- Three Nittany Lions were drafted in the MLS Superdraft, Butts, Jalen Watson and Andrew Privett.