The No. 2 Hoosiers have a chance to do something they haven’t done since 2012. IU will play host to Penn State on Sunday afternoon with an opportunity to start Big Ten play with three straight wins.
Penn State only has a pair of wins on the season while IU is riding an eight-game winning streak.
Here are three things to know about the Nittany Lions before the matchup.
Road Woes
Life on the road hasn’t been pleasant for Penn State this season.
In the three matches away from University Park, Penn State has been outscored 4-2.
The last road game against No. 21 Michigan was one that the Nittany Lions let slip away. Penn State took the 1-0 lead just two minutes into the match after junior forward Christian Sload dribbled into the box and found the bottom left corner of the net.
But, Michigan found the equalizer in the 69th minute after the ball deflected off a Penn State defender.
Things won’t get much easier within the confines of Bill Armstrong Stadium.
Tough competition
When the Nittany Lions take the pitch against IU, it’ll be their fourth matchup against a ranked opponent this season.
Penn State has yet to win a single match against its prior three opponents, but both losses have only been by a single goal.
This’ll also be the third straight match against a ranked opponent. In the last match against No. 5 Michigan State, the teams were scoreless until a goal by MSU in the 74th minute proved to be the difference maker.
In the match earlier in the season against No. 15 Villanova, it was another late goal given up that gave Penn State the loss. Despite holding a 17-11 shot advantage over Villanova, Penn State couldn’t find the back of the net in the second half.
It was a 2-1 road loss, but Penn State also had 12 corner kicks in the match.
Historically close
For the past five seasons, the matches between Penn State and IU has been relatively close.
The series is at a 3-3-1 stalemate since 2013 but the Nittany Lions haven’t won a match against IU since 2015. Six of those seven meetings have all been decided by a 1-0 score.
Last season, the two teams met twice with the Hoosiers taking both victories 1-0. Sophomore midfielder Spencer Glass and senior midfielder Cory Thomas each had a goal against Penn State in 2017. The goal for Thomas came in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.
Despite the close matches in recent history, things might go a little differently this time around. IU has scored at least two goals in every match except for two this season.
