Nittany Lions beat Hoosiers 2-0

For the IU men’s soccer team, Sunday’s matchup with Penn State provided a familiar story.

In the Hoosiers’ previous game, a 2-0 loss at No. 2 Notre Dame on Wednesday, two first-half goals by the opposition made all the difference. Against Penn State, IU (4-6-1, 1-1) again allowed a pair of first-half strikes and were defeated again by a score of 2-0.
 
On a rain-soaked Jerry Yeagley Field at Bill Armstrong Stadium, Penn State found the net first with a 15th-minute strike by junior forward Jordan Tyler.

Nittany Lion senior midfielder Grant Warming collected the ball and streaked down the right flank, sending a low cross across the face of the IU goal. Tyler bullied his way through two Hoosier defenders and redirected the ball over sophomore goalkeeper Michael Soderlund’s head.

The Nittany Lions were able to double their lead in the 25th minute with sloppy Hoosier defending, granting Penn State an open look at the net.

After a Penn State cross rattled around the Hoosier penalty area, a deflected attempt at a clearance fell at the feet of Warming, who found Owen Griffith just behind the Hoosier box.

The junior defender took one touch of the ball, turned, and sent a curling shot around Soderlund and into the top corner of the net.

A frantic Hoosier attack in the final minutes of the half failed to produce a goal, and the Nittany Lions entered halftime with a 2-0 lead.

IU’s best chance at a goal came with 34 minutes and 25 seconds remaining in the second half, when freshman forward Tommy Thompson was pulled down in the penalty area by Penn State senior defender Martin Seiler.

Thompson stepped up to take the penalty kick, but his shot was saved low and to the left by Penn State junior goalkeeper Andrew Wolverton.

Thompson said indecision in where to place his shot led to the missed
opportunity.

“I probably hit 250 PKs before this game, this past couple weeks, and I went right every single time,” he said. “I don’t know what happened. I just changed it for that PK and it was a bad mistake.

“I was just ready for that moment, so I stepped up, but I missed it. It was a bad
decision.”

The missed penalty kick was the Hoosiers’ second in two attempts this season.

For the remainder of the game, Penn State relied on its trademark defense to nullify any potential chance the Hoosiers created. IU dominated the total shots category, taking 18 to the Nittany Lions’ seven, but Penn State held on to collect its fifth shutout of the season.

IU Coach Todd Yeagley said Penn State’s defense put in a strong performance, but his team should have taken advantage of its chances.

“They put a lot of numbers behind the ball, but you can’t say we didn’t create a lot of chances,” he said. “They have a nice goalkeeper who’s big and gets on a lot of things, but we weren’t precise enough in our service. We played into their hands a little bit.”
Yeagley said he felt the Hoosiers played better than the score line indicated, but his team still has work to do.

“It just wasn’t the day. We did enough to win it, but just didn’t do it. We’ll keep staying the course.”

Follow reporter Alden Woods on Twitter @acw9293.