UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's soccer team, under fourth-year head coach Jeff Cook, opens the 2021 season this week with two games within the friendly confines of Jeffrey Field. The Nittany Lions first play host to George Mason on Thursday, Aug. 26 before Syracuse comes to Happy Valley on Sunday, Aug. 29. Both games will kick off at 7 p.m. and will be streamed live on Big Ten Network+.
 
GAME INFORMATION
vs. George Mason

• Date: Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021 | Time: 7 p.m.
• Location: University Park, Pa. | Venue: Jeffrey Field
• Live Stats: gopsusports.com | Watch: BTN+ ($)

vs. Syracuse

• Date: Sunday, Aug. 29, 2021 | Time: 7 p.m.
• Location: University Park, Pa. | Venue: Jeffrey Field
• Live Stats: gopsusports.com | Watch: BTN+ ($)

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.
 
For men's soccer matches, fans are asked to park in the Jordan East, Stadium West or Porter North lots. Fans without a permit are encouraged to prepay for event parking at a discounted rate of $5.50 through ParkMobile - https://psu.parkmobile.io/. Prepayment is available through 11:59 p.m. the day prior to each event. Event day parking will be $10 per vehicle and is cash only/can be purchased on the ParkMobile app. The East Deck is also available for most events for $1 per hour.
 
Parking for all non-football athletics events is managed by Penn State Transportation Services. For more information or questions, visit transportation.psu.edu or email parking@psu.edu.

KICKING OFF THE SEASON AT HOME

• Penn State has opened 10 of the last 11 seasons with a home game, including the last four straight.
• The Nittany Lions will also welcome fans back to Jeffrey Field after having limited attendance in 2020-21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

2020-21 IN REVIEW

• Even in an unprecedented season, Penn State made the most out of 2020-21, finishing with a 9-2-2 overall record and 6-1-1 runner-up record in Big Ten play.
• The Nittany Lions eventually advanced to their first Big Ten Tournament championship game since 2011 and NCAA Sweet Sixteen since 2013.
• Penn State had a high-powered offense in 2020-21, one that averaged 2.15 goals per game which paced the Big Ten and was 13th in the nation. Forwards Danny Bloyou (8G, 2A) and Peter Mangione (6G, 6A) both finished the season with 18 points and midfielder Pierre Reedy added 14 points (5G, 4A) while eight other players contributed points.
• Penn State was just as strong defensively, led on the backline by Brandon Hackenberg and in net by goalkeeper Kris Shakes.
• Bloyou, Reedy and Hackenberg all earned first team All-Big Ten honors while Shakes and midfielder Seth Kuhn were named to the second team and Mangione earned a spot on the all-freshmen team. Bloyou and Reedy also collected Third Team All-America status  from United Soccer Coaches.

KEEP IT 100

• Penn State returns 100 percent of its scoring offense in 2021, including top point scorers in Danny Bloyou, Peter Mangione and Pierre Reedy.
• The Nittany Lions averaged 2.15 goals per game in 2020-21 to pace the league and rank 13th nationally.
• They also had three games with four goals for the most four-goal games in a season since 2010. 

NATIONAL RECOGNITION

• Penn State starts the 2021 season ranked No. 11 in the preseason poll for United Soccer Coaches.
• The Nittany Lions broke into the top 10 at No. 10 in Top Drawer Soccer's preseason poll.

SCOUTING GEORGE MASON

• The George Mason Patriots are led by Elmar Bolowich who enters his second season at the helm in Fairfax. Bolowich is a decorated collegiate coach, leading North Carolina and Creighton to 21 combined NCAA appearances before matriculating to George Mason. Thursday's match in Happy Valley will open the 2021 season for the Patriots as well.
• Last season, George Mason went 0-6-3 overall and 0-3-3 in Atlantic 10 Conference play. Kent Harrison paced the Patriots with four points on two goals last season as he returns to the offense for 2021. Christopher Schray returns as the assists leader from a season ago with one.
• In net, Jackson Lee returns as the minutes leader from 2020-21, playing in eight games with two shutouts. He held a 1.58 goals-against average and a 0.682 save percentage with 30 saves.

PENN STATE AGAINST GEORGE MASON

• Penn State will be looking for its first win over George Mason in program history as the Nittany Lions trail in the all-time series, 0-3-1.
• The two teams have not matched up since the 2005 season.

SCOUTING SYRACUSE

• The Syracuse Orange are led by head coach Ian McIntyre who enters his 22nd season at the helm in Syracuse. The Orange open their 2021 season at home on Thursday, Aug. 26 against another Pennsylvania-based school, Drexel.
• Last season, Syracuse went 2-7-4 overall and 0-6-3 in ACC play. Noah Singelmann paced the Orange with 10 points on three goals and a team-high four assists and returns to the roster in 2021. Deandre Kerr led the team with four goals as he also returns this season.
• In net, Russell Shealy returns as the minutes leader from 2020-21, playing in 10 games with two shutouts. He held a 1.31 goals-against average and a 0.714 save percentage with 35 saves.

PENN STATE AGAINST SYRACUSE

• Penn State holds a 30-3-5 all-time series advantage over Syracuse.
• The two teams could have once been considered rivals back in the early to mid-1900s, matching up 36 times between 1920-60. The Nittany Lions and the Orange since 1960 have only met up twice, in 2007 and 2014 with Syracuse taking both contests, including a second-round NCAA Tournament win seven seasons ago. 

NEXT TIME OUT
Penn State hits the road for the first time this season in week two, traveling to Morgantown, West Virginia to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers on Friday, Sept. 3. The Nittany Lions then return to Happy Valley to host American on Monday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. at Jeffrey Field.