UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men’s soccer program christened the Rob Dow era on Thursday evening, booking a rousing come-from-behind 3-2 victory over the Mercyhurst Lakers on Jeffrey Field.
PSU opened the first season under the direction of its new head coach in victorious fashion, utilizing three unanswered goals to close the book on a 1-0 start to the 2026 campaign, while Mercyhurst dropped to 0-1 overall. Senior forward Amadou Kone and sophomore defender Joe Sheridan were responsible for two of the Penn State goals, with a Laker own-goal going in in the book as the match-winner. Junior defender Noah Förster and graduate midfielder Grant McIntosh were each credited for assists on opening night.
Fourteen student-athletes made their PSU debuts in the win, with 11 of those also appearing in an NCAA match for the first time in their playing careers. As a team, the Blue & White mustered their most corner kick attempts in a single match since at least the 2009 season, finishing with 16 corner chances on the night.
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST HALF
Penn State set the pace early in the opening minutes, winning the first corner of the match inside the first minute of the regular season. The Nittany Lions’ first set piece of 2026 was handled by the Laker goalkeeper, and both squads settled into action from there. A Mercyhurst attack materialized into a penalty kick opportunity following a VAR check in the eighth minute of play, and Alvar Silva converted the chance to make it 1-0 Mercyhurst.
Action settled following the lid-lifting tally, and PSU managed an early 3-1 shot differential over the first 20 minutes. The Blue & White won the second corner of the match in the 21st, but a close-range shot from senior midfielder Luca Sowinski narrowly missed right on the set-piece opportunity. Less than six minutes passed before a giveaway inside the Nittany Lion 18 resulted in Mercyhurst’s second tally of the night, this time off the boot of Max Beech.
PSU regrouped from there and managed to strike back with an impressive goal in the 35th minute of play. Förster played a magnificent ball forward to a blisteringly-fast Kone, outpacing the Laker back line and beating the keeper with a right-footed shot just inside the 18 to put PSU on the board. The squads returned to the dressing room with Mercyhurst managing a 2-1 advantage.
SECOND HALF
The Blue & White came out of the intermission with their hair on fire, registering a pair of shots on goal in the first 40 seconds of the second stanza. PSU registered its fourth corner of the night in the 48th and added another set-piece chance with their fifth corner less than 90 seconds later, but Mercyhurst maintained a one-goal edge early in the second half.
A dangerous play from Mercyhurst’s Joe Chinchilla in the 51st was initially booked as a yellow, but a VAR review saw the Laker sent off with a red moments later, allowing PSU the opportunity to play with a man-advantage for the rest of the night. Penn State notched three corners back-to-back-to-back in the ensuing moments, with the Nittany Lions mustering multiple dangerous chances to no avail. PSU maintained possession for the majority of the next 15 minutes, and the dam finally broke for the Nittany Lions in the 68th. Penn State’s 12th corner of the evening found Sheridan’s head off a pristine service from McIntosh, equalizing the match at two apiece.
Action remained level with the Nittany Lions maintaining control of most of the possession over the next half-hour, with the most notable stoppages coming in the form of a 74th-minute caution for Mercyhurst’s Santiago Giraldo, followed by an 83rd-minute yellow for Laker Santiago Bustamante. A dangerous scoring chance in the run of play for PSU ensued shortly thereafter, with junior forward Etienne Reck directing a ball toward the Laker goal. A Mercyhurst athlete failed a tackle attempt in the box and registered an own-goal instead in the 84th, marking the third unanswered score for the Blue & White. Penn State’s back line buckled down from there and closed the comeback out, finalizing the 3-2 result on opening night.
OF NOTE
- Penn State mustered its most corner kicks in a match since at least the 2009 season, booking 16 against Mercyhurst in the season opener.
- Senior forward Amadou Kone booked his first NCAA points and goal in his debut for the Blue & White, logging the first goal of the Rob Dow era at Penn State in the 35th minute.
- Sophomore defender Joe Sheridan recorded his first collegiate goal and first points since registering an assist against Northwestern on October 17 of last season.
- Junior defender Noah Förster registered his first point and assist as an NCAA athlete, also in his Nittany Lion debut performance, finding Kone in the 35th.
- Graduate midfielder Grant McIntosh registered his first point and assist as a Nittany Lion, logging the seventh helper of his collegiate career.
- Fourteen Nittany Lions made their Penn State debuts in the season opener, with 11 of those also making their debuts in NCAA competition.
- Penn State utilized the starting XI of Daniel Peluffo-Wiese, Joe Sheridan, Luca Sowinski, Morgan Marshall, Sheridan McNish, Nehan Hasan, Toby Grant, Joe Buckley, Grant McIntosh, Beckham Brown and Etienne Reck for the first time, moving to 1-0 when utilizing that lineup.
UP NEXT
Penn State men’s soccer sets out on its first road trip of the 2026 campaign this Sunday, August 23, as the Nittany Lions travel to Springfield, Missouri, to face the Missouri State Bears. Kickoff is slated for 8 p.m. (ET) at Betty & Bobby Allison South Stadium, with streaming available on ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
FOLLOW THE NITTANY LIONS
Visit GoPSUsports.com for more information on Penn State men’s soccer. Fans can keep up to date with the Nittany Lion men’s soccer team on X and Instagram @PennStateMSOC, in addition to the team’s Facebook page at /PennStateMensSoccer.