# 2020 Penn State Nittany Lions men's soccer team

The 2020 Penn State Nittany Lions men's soccer team represented Pennsylvania State University during the 2020 NCAA Division I men's soccer season and the 2020 Big Ten Conference men's soccer season. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 fall season was postponed to the spring, and began on February 19, 2021. It was the program's 108th season fielding a men's varsity soccer team, and their 30th season in the Big Ten Conference. The 2020 season is Jeff Cook's third year at the helm.

## Background

The 2020 season is the Nittany Lions' 108th season as a varsity soccer program, and their 30th season playing in the Big Ten Conference. The team is led by third year head coach, Jeff Cook, who had previously served as an assistant coach for the professional soccer team, Bethlehem Steel of USL Championship.

## Player movement
### Departures

| Name | Number | Position | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Brandon Hackenberg | 3 | DF | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 175 | Redshirt Senior | Reading, PA | Drafted by Orlando City SC with the 22nd pick of the 2021 MLS SuperDraft. |
| Aaron Molloy | 8 | MF | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 165 | Senior | Dublin, Ireland | Graduated; drafted by Portland Timbers with the 16th pick of the 2020 MLS SuperDraft. |
| Will Campbell | 20 | DF | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 178 | Graduate Student | Wallingford, PA | Graduated |
| Kyle Perno | 23 | FW | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 165 | Senior | New Hyde Park, NY | Graduated |
| Christian Sload | 24 | FW | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 170 | Senior | Reading, PA | Graduated |
Last updated: May 14, 2021 Source: Penn State Athletics

### Arrivals

| Name | Nat. | Hometown | Club |
| David Adelsberg GK | USA | Newport Beach, CA | Pateadores SC |
| Femi Awodesu DF | USA | Philadelphia, PA | Tampa Bay Rowdies |
| Tyger Evans DF | USA | Philadelphia, PA | Philadelphia Union Academy |
| Peter Mangione MF | USA | Dulaney, MD | Baltimore Armour |
| Jace Orvos FW | USA | Belle Mead, NJ | PDA (Academy) |
* Last updated: May 14, 2021
* Source: TopDrawerSoccer

### Transfers

| Name | Nat. | No. | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Alex Morgret | USA | 13 | GK | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | Junior | Hummelstown, PA | Transferred from Saint Francis |
| Daniel Bloyou | Ghana | 9 | FW | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | Junior | Ghana | Transferred from Old Dominion |

### 2021 MLS SuperDraft

| Player | Round | Pick | Position | MLS club | Ref. |
| Brandon Hackenberg | 1 | 22 | DF | Orlando City SC | |

## Squad
### Roster

    As of May 14, 2021
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Nation |
| 1 | GK | Kris Shakes | United States |
| 2 | DF | Mason Deeds | United States |
| 3 | DF | Brandon Hackenberg (captain) | United States |
| 4 | DF | Jalen Watson | Canada |
| 5 | MF | Callum Pritchatt | England |
| 6 | MF | Andrew Privett | United States |
| 7 | FW | Liam Butts | United States |
| 8 | MF | Peter Mangione | United States |
| 9 | FW | Daniel Bloyou | Ghana |
| 10 | MF | Seth Kuhn | United States |
| 11 | MF | Pierre Reedy (captain) | United States |
| 12 | MF | Nicholas Rieple | United States |
| 13 | GK | Alex Morgret | United States |
| 14 | DF | Michael Gaines | United States |
| 15 | DF | Adam Laundree | United States |
| 16 | MF | Keegan Ness | United States |
| 17 | DF | Tyger Evans | United States |
| 18 | DF | Alex Stevenson | United States |
| 19 | MF | Omar Ozbay | United States |
| 20 | DF | Edward Mensah | Ghana |
| 21 | MF | Kyle May | United States |
| 22 | MF | Daniel González | Costa Rica |
| 23 | FW | Jace Orvos | United States |
| 24 | DF | Jose Palomeque | United States |
| 25 | DF | Dax Hoffman | United States |
| 26 | FW | Josh Dabora | United States |
| 27 | GK | Owen Elliott | United States |
| 28 | DF | Femi Awodesu | United States |
| 30 | GK | David Adelsberg | United States |

### Personnel

Front office :
| Athletic Director | Sandy Barbour |
| Deputy Director of Athletics | Lynn Holleran |
| Deputy Director of Athletics | Scott Sidwell |
| Coaching staff ||
| Head coach | Jeff Cook |
| Assistant coach | Greg Dalby |
| Assistant coach | Methembe Ndlovu |
| Assistant coach | Clint Long |
Last updated: January 1, 2021 Source: Penn State Athletics

## Schedule

| Date Time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Team events | Opponent events | Site (Attendance) City, State |
| Regular season ||||||||
| February 19 6:00 p.m., BTN+ | No. 23 | No. 21 Maryland | W 3–2 | 1–0–0 (1–0–0) | A. Privett 5' B. Hackenberg 18' P. Reedy 25' P. Mangione 34' A. Stevenson 38' K. May 74' | B. Padilla 82' I. Ngobu 16' J. Suchecki 38' P. Bin 49' J. Russell-Rowe 73' 85' B. St. Martin 86' | Holuba Hall (100) State College, PA |
| February 23 12:00 p.m., BTN+ | No. 20 | at Rutgers | W 2–1 | 2–0–0 (2–0–0) | D. Bloyou 8' J. Watson 11' S. Kuhn 34' P. Mangione 35' | C. Sotack 16' J. Temple 32' (pen.) J. Temple 34' C. Sotack 49' V. Borden 85' | Iron Peaks Sports & Events (0) Piscataway, NJ |
| February 27 2:00 p.m., BTN+ | | Michigan State | L 1–0 | 2–1–0 (2–1–0) | D. Bloyou 59' K. May 60' B. Hackenberg 62' | O. Ogunwale 5' J. Zugay 75' J. Beck 86' | Holuba Hall (100) State College, PA |
| POSTPONED | | No. 9 Michigan | | 2–1–0 (2–1–0) | n/a | n/a | Ann Arbor, MI |
| POSTPONED | | at No. 19 Indiana | | 2–1–0 (2–1–0) | n/a | n/a | Bloomington, IN |
| March 15 12:00 p.m., BTN | | Rutgers | W 4–2 | 3–1–0 (3–1–0) | D. Bloyou 24' S. Kuhn 27' A. Laundree 42' Tyger Evans 44' P. Reedy 47' D. Bloyou 76' K. May 79' | V. Borden 27' R. Barry 33' V. Borden 53' K. Galloway 87' | Jeffrey Field (207) State College, PA |
| March 19 1:00 p.m., BTN | | at Northwestern | W 1-0 | 4–1–0 (4–1–0) | N. Rieple 82' D. Bloyou 91' | none | Martin Stadium (20) Evanston, IL |
| March 23 5:00 p.m., BTN+ | | No. 25 Ohio State | W 1-0 | 5–1–0 (5–1–0) | P. Mangione 74' N. Rieple 89' | X. Green 24' P. Grinstead 72' | Jeffrey Field (179) State College, PA |
| March 27 2:00 p.m., BTN+ | | Wisconsin | W 1-0 | 6–1–0 (6–1–0) | D. Bloyou 72' P. Reedy 86' | A. Akindele 36' Z. Klancnik 57' P. Yim 74' | Jeffrey Field (216) State College, PA |
| March 31 12:00 p.m., BTN | | at Maryland | T 2–2 | 6–1–1 (6–1–1) | P. Mangione 19' J. Watson 75' D. Bloyou 81' P. Reedy 86' F. Awodesu 91' | B. Bender 1' 34' C. Rindov 37' M. Johnston 62' J. Gielen 79' | Ludwig Field (100) College Park, MD |
| Big Ten Tournament ||||||||
| April 10 12:00 p.m., BTN | No. 19 (2) | No. (7) Ohio State Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinal | W 3-1 | 7–1–1 (6–1–1) | D. Bloyou 21' T. Evans 72' D. Bloyou 54' P. Reedy 86' | D. Etling 87' | Jeffrey Field (256) State College, PA |
| April 14 5:00 p.m., BTN | No. 14 (2) | No. 20 (3) Michigan Big Ten Tournament Semifinal | W 4–1 | 8–1–1 (6–1–1) | D. Bloyou 6' J. Watson 11' P. Mangione 17' (pen.) F. Awodesu 35' P. Reedy 62' L. Butts 87' P. Reedy 86' | J. Ragen 24' J. Ragen 28' M. Ybarra 43' U. Farouk Osman 76' | Jeffrey Field (313) State College, PA |
| April 17 5:00 p.m., BTN | No. 14 (2) | No. 3 (1) Indiana Big Ten Tournament Championship | T 1–1 $^{3-2}$ | 8–1–2 (6–1–1) | S. Kuhn 75' L. Butts 81' T. Evans 108' | V. Bezerra 39' J. Maher 80' | Bill Armstrong Stadium (0) Bloomington, IN |
| NCAA Tournament ||||||||
| May 2* 1:00 p.m., ESPN3 | No. 12 | vs. UMass NCAA Tournament Second Round | W 4–1 | 9–1–2 (6–1–1) | Own Goal 9' A. Stevenson 20' K. Ness 23' S. Kuhn 31' A. Privett 64' T. Evans 81' | Own Goal 52' R. Levay 74' B. Shepherd 78' | UNCG Soccer Stadium (167) Greensboro, NC |
| May 6* 12:00 p.m., GOHEELSTV | No. 12 | vs. No. 7 Georgetown NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen | L 3-2 | 9–2–2 (6–1–1) | P. Mangione 12' (pen.) K. Shakes 53' S. Kuhn 53' D. Bloyou 58' K. Shakes 90' | D. Polvara 8' (pen.) Z. Riviere 29' M. Ngoh 44' | WakeMed Soccer Park (167) Cary, NC |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from United Soccer Coaches. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. ||||||||
Source:Penn State Athletics

## Rankings
### Preseason Big Ten poll

Penn State was predicted to finish 3rd in the Big Ten Conference.
Coaches' Poll :
| Predicted finish | Team |
| 1 | Indiana |
| 2 | Maryland |
| 3 | Penn State |
| 4 | Michigan |
| 5 | Michigan State |
| 6 | Northwestern |
| 7 | Rutgers |
| 8 | Wisconsin |
| 9 | Ohio State |

### Season Rankings

Ranking movement Legend: ██ Improvement in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. ██ Not ranked the previous week. RV=Others receiving votes. :
| Poll | Pre | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Final |
| United Soccer | None Released | None Released | None Released | None Released | RV | RV | RV | NV | RV | 19 | 14 | 12 | 11 |
| Top Drawer Soccer | 23 | 23 | 23 | 20 | NV | NV | NV | NV | 21 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 12 |
| CollegeSoccerNews.com | 21 | 21 | 21 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 |

## Statistics
### Top scorers

| Rank | Position | Number | Name | Total |
| 1 | FW | 9 | Daniel Bloyou | 8 |
| 2 | MF | 8 | Peter Mangione | 6 |
| 3 | MF | 11 | Pierre Reedy | 5 |
* Last updated: May 7, 2020
* Source: Team Stats

### Top assists

| Rank | Position | Number | Name | Total |
| 1 | MF | 8 | Peter Mangione | 6 |
| T-2 | MF | 11 | Pierre Reedy | 4 |
| T-2 | FW | 10 | Seth Kuhn | 4 |
| 3 | DF | 18 | Alex Stevenson | 3 |
* Last updated: May 7, 2020
* Source: Team Stats

## Honors and awards
### Big Ten awards

| Award | Name |
| All-Big Ten First Team | Daniel Bloyou |
| All-Big Ten First Team | Pierre Reedy |
| All-Big Ten Second Team | Seth Kuhn |
| All-Big Ten Second Team | Kris Shakes |
| All-Big Ten Freshman Team | Peter Mangione |
| Big Ten Sportsmanship Award Honorees | Nicholas Rieple |
* Last updated: May 8, 2020
* Source: Big Ten 2020-21 Honors

### Top Drawer Soccer awards

All-American Team :
| Award | Name |
| 3rd Team | Pierre Reedy |
| 3rd Team | Daniel Bloyou |
| Freshman Best XI Team ||
| Award | Name |
| 2nd Team | Peter Mangione |
| All-North Region ||
| Award | Name |
| 1st Team | Pierre Reedy |
| 1st Team | Daniel Bloyou |
| 1st Team | Brandon Hackenberg |
| 2nd Team | Peter Mangione |
| Team of the Week ||
| Week | Name |
| May 4 | Peter Mangione |
| April 13 | Daniel Bloyou |
| March 30 | Brandon Hackenberg |
| March 30 | Brandon Hackenberg |
| March 23 | Daniel Bloyou |
| Preseason Best XI ||
| Position | Name |
| FW | Liam Butts |
| DF | Brandon Hackenberg |
* Last updated: May 14, 2020
* Source: TopDrawerSoccer

### United Soccer Coaches awards

Scholar All-American :
| Award | Name |
| First Team | Pierre Reedy |
| First Team | Brandon Hackenberg |
| Second Team | Seth Kuhn |
* Last updated: May 8, 2020
* Source: United Soccer Coaches