Penn State Men’s Soccer Defeats Army 2-1 in Home Opener

Penn State men’s soccer (1-1-0) defeated Army (0-1-1) 2-1 in its home opener at Jeffrey Field on Sunday night.

Two highlight corner kick goals by Matthew Henderson and Caden Grabfelder paved the way for the Nittany Lions’ first win of the season.

How It Happened

Both teams started off strong, having solid chances in the box within the first minute of action. The first foul of the game came against Army two minutes in on Reef McGee. Nothing resulted from Michael Hewes’ free kick, but the Nittany Lions had a scoring opportunity shortly after that. A shot by Christian Dionne missed wide left after some contact with an Army player directed the ball away. A foul was then called on Miles Hadley of the Black Knights outside the box, but Dionne’s free kick was sent out of bounds.

In what was the best opportunity of the game thus far, Army’s Jubril Bamgbala missed his shot a few inches to the right after having Penn State goalie Fredrick Grundin beat. The Black Knights continued to put pressure on the Nittany Lions, as a cross by Owen Ennis was intercepted by Grundin before the ball was able to get through. Army was awarded a corner kick a few moments later, as Ennis’ attempt curved out of bounds after a header missed the mark.

Ronald Zhai scored the game’s first goal for Army in the 15th minute after a fake shot led to a quick boot from inside the box. Thomas Kai had the assist as the Black Knights jumped out to a 1-0 lead.

Ennis’ second corner of the evening was redirected on a header close to the net, but the Nittany Lions were able to clear it past midfield. Army’s Kai sent Hewes to the ground as the foul was called. This was the Black Knights’ fifth foul of the game, as their aggressive defensive style continued. Henderson’s free kick was cleared promptly.

A good chance by Penn State’s Ben Liscum was blocked, as Gage Lyons of Army had a chance of his own shortly thereafter. His shot was saved by Grundin with relative ease.

A foul on Army’s Kasem Minzey led to a free kick for Grabfelder, as his shot curled just wide to the right. Penn State was still searching for the equalizer with just over eight minutes remaining in the first half.

Lyons, McGee, and Zhai were subbed out in the 40th minute, as Liam Tucker, Colin McCarthy, and Jack Kryger made their way into the game to replace the trio. The remainder of the half was relatively uneventful, as the clock ticked down to zero.

The second half began with a corner attempt early on for the Nittany Lions. Grabfelder’s kick was knocked away by Army’s keeper, Blair Camargo. Penn State had another chance at a corner kick, with Henderson getting the nod this time. A brilliant shot from the Nittany Lion defenseman found the back of the net, bending in untouched. The goal in the 47th minute made the game all square, 1-1.

A great shot by Ben Madore was met with an athletic, diving save by Camargo. A Penn State corner then narrowly missed the net, as the Nittany Lions were on the unlucky end of two fantastic opportunities.

Army’s eighth foul of the game led to a substitution while play was stopped, as Lyons came back in the game to replace Riley Cullum. Getting action right off the bat, a header by Lyons from inside the box was off the mark.

As play moved to the offensive zone for Penn State, a strong shot by Grabfelder was punched away by Camargo over his head. Henderson’s corner kick was redirected out of bounds, as he faced another opportunity. The kick went untouched by either team and dribbled out of bounds past the back post.

Penn State had a couple of more good chances but was unable to capitalize off a missed bicycle kick and rebound shot. With both teams still searching for the go-ahead goal, a hard shot by Army missed high.

With just over 15 minutes to go in regulation, a foul was called on Army’s Ryan Behrmann. As play continued, a great chance by Nittany Lion Morgan Marshall was blocked in front of the net as the pace of play intensified. A foul was then called on Penn State’s Ben Liscum, much to the displeasure of the students at Jeffrey Field.

A shot by Liscum ended up on top of the net but was deflected off an Army player, leading to a Nittany Lion corner kick. And in what appeared to be deja vu all over again, Grabfelder’s shot curved in untouched to break the tie in the 81st minute. Flashing shades of Henderson from earlier in the match, Grabfelder gave Penn State a 2-1 lead as the game reached its waning minutes.

Morgan Marshall was called for a foul in the 86th minute, as Chase Oliver came in the game to replace Grabfelder. As the clock ticked down, the ball found itself in the hands of Grundin as the game came to an end. Penn State defeated Army by a final score of 2-1 for its first win of the 2024 season.

Takeaways

• Penn State spent a lot of time in the attacking third in the second half, dominating offensive possession.
• Army played a much more aggressive game than Penn State, but consequently received 12 fouls compared to Penn State’s seven.
• Two great corner kicks by the Nittany Lions were the difference in this game, as their two goals came off of brilliant shots by Henderson and Grabfelder.

What’s Next?

Penn State will take on in-state rival Pitt on Friday, August 30, in the 800 Strong game at Jeffrey Field. The game will begin at 7 p.m. and streaming will be available on BTN+.