Penn State men’s and women’s soccer teams face tough tasks ahead in the NCAA Tournament

Both the Penn State men’s and women’s soccer programs were able to survive and advance past the early stages of this year’s NCAA Tournament, but now, the real challenges for both teams lay ahead in their quests for championships.

But these types of big-moment games never seem to faze 14th-year women’s coach Erica Dambach or throw her for a loop, and her team never appears to succumb under the pressure of do-or-die matches. Once again, her team will be put to the test on Wednesday against No. 1 Florida State in the third round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Nittany Lions followed up their 5-0 win over Alabama State on Wednesday in the first round with another masterful performance on Saturday by defeating No. 16 Vanderbilt by two goals in a game that saw a plenty of back-and-forth action as Penn State held off the Commodores’ attack throughout the final stages of the match.

Through those two games, it’s apparent the Nittany Lions are seeing production from a variety of players, which is exactly what Dambach needs in order to keep her team afloat. Not to say they are a one-dimensional team by any regard, but when the team’s leading goal and point-scorer up to this point in Ally Schlegel hasn’t needed to score a goal in the tournament and the team’s a plus seven goal differential, that’s a tremendous sign heading into the next game.

Schlegel is due for a goal-scoring explosion after going the last three matches without a single tally, considering she’s scored multiple goals in four games this season. But right behind her, finishing with 27 points this season, is Frankie Tagliaferri, who propelled her team to victory by scoring two goals in its 5-0 defeat of the Hornets in the first round. Midfielder Linnehan Payton was another key contributor in Penn State’s win last Saturday, registering two assists with a goal of her own. Senior Sam Coffey has two assists through the two tournament games, and has made sharp, crisp passes that have led to crucial goals.

Goalkeeper Katherine Asman has been solid all season for Penn State, but has really turned up her game as of late. She’s only allowed two goals in her past seven matches, and through two tournament games has made all four saves shot at her. The team’s defense has been stellar as well and played a role in the limited shots Asman has seen.

Looking at Florida State, it’s very clear as to why its the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament. The Seminoles boast an undefeated record up to this point, and have won each of their 12 matches decisively including nine shutouts and eight games scoring three goals or more.

While they don’t possess the elite goal scorers like a Schlegel or Tagliaferri, — Florida State’s leading point scorer is Clara Robbins with 16 — they play an all-around game that their opponents have yet to figure out. Robbins and Leilanni Nesbeth provide the Seminoles with steady and consistent offensive play and pace, while Jenna Nighswonger is a dynamo off the bench having scored 13 points this season with zero starts.

Freshman goalkeeper Cristina Roque started all 12 games this year for Florida State and has only allowed six goals. What’s more telling is she’s only had to make 20 saves while posting a .50 goals against per game — meaning she’s only having to make just over 1.5 saves per game.

In his 16th season, coach Mark Krikorian has his team playing relentless defense, as the Seminoles didn’t concede a single shot in their 3-0 win over Milwaukee in the second round of the tournament. Florida State and Penn State’s third round tournament matchup is set for 3 p.m. Wednesday in Cary, North Carolina.

On the men’s side, Penn State will also face a ranked opponent in its third round matchup against No. 8 Georgetown who, like the Nittany Lions, also just fell short in its conference championship game, 2-1, to Seton Hall. While both teams couldn’t come away with conference titles this season, both have bounced back admirably in their first tournament game as the Hoyas knocked off High Point, 2-0, and the Nittany Lions defeated UMass, 4-1.

Third-year Penn State coach Jeff Cook knows the 2019 titleholders are still a dangerous threat every time they touch the field and even hypothesizes that the matchup against the Hoyas will look vastly distinct compared to what the Minutemen presented.

“Obviously in 2019, everyone knows they were national champions and have built pretty consistent, top 10, deep NCAA Tournament-type teams,” Cook said. “The way they’ve approached that is with a lot of good thought, really good players, and I think it’ll be a very different game with the way Georgetown approaches it.”

Daniel Bloyou has led Penn State on the scoring end for much of the season, and his 16 points are tied for the team lead. But midfielder Peter Mangione has really shown up recently and helped carry the offensive load with Bloyou, as evidenced by his three-assist game in the second round of the tournament. Seth Kuhn and Alex Stevenson also stepped up in Penn State’s latest victory, but for it to beat a veteran, experienced team like Gerogetown, its main goal scorers in Bloyou, Mangione and Pierre Reedy have to be ready to put pressure on the Hoyas’ defense from the opening kickoff.

In net, Nittany Lions keeper Kris Shakes was tasked with making seven saves in their win over UMass, and while he’s more than capable of coming up large when it matters most, Penn State will still want to limit the amount of output thrown his way. It won’t be an easy assignment for the Nittany Lions defense, as the Hoyas average 15.3 shots per game to their opponents 7.5, and a large part of their game plan has been simply getting shots on net and letting them fall.

Many of those shots come from Georgetown midfielder Dante Polvara, who leads his team with 16 points (seven goals) in 12 starts. He’ll be someone to keep an eye on, as will Chris Hegardt, who scored a goal and an assist in the Hoyas victory over High Point.

Giannis Nikopolidis is the Hoyas’ starting goalkeeper, and despite the team’s two-goal loss to Seton Hall, he’s only allowed four goals all year while posting 0.42 goals against per game. His six shutouts showcase how dominant he’s been at times this year, and Penn State will have to produce more than four shots on goal to crack Nikopolidis.

The Nittany Lions and Hoyas will face off in the Sweet Sixteen at noon Thursday from Cary, North Carolina.