Taco Tuesday, team chemistry propel Penn State men’s soccer to Big Ten semifinal win over Michigan

The day before Seth Kuhn took the pitch in the Big Ten Tournament semifinal, he and his Penn State men’s soccer teammates went over their game plan and set pieces at practice — capping their preparation with a Taco Tuesday celebration.

Taco Tuesday has become a weekly tradition for the Nittany Lions, who advanced to the Big Ten Tournament final after a 2-0 win over No. 4-seeded Michigan on Wednesday.

With a team full of hungry college athletes, it didn’t take long for Taco Tuesday to become Taco-less Tuesday for the blue and white.

“Let’s just say there were not a lot of leftovers last night,” Kuhn said.

And just like at their team dinner at Rec Hall on Tuesday, Penn State’s players took what was theirs in their second matchup with the Wolverines at Jeffrey Field this season.

Kuhn got the scoring started on a free kick just outside of the penalty box in the 12th minute. The goal was Kuhn’s fourth of the season — all coming in Penn State’s past four games.

Kuhn’s shot ended up being the eventual game winner with Penn State holding Michigan scoreless for the duration of the match.

The strike that came on a three-man set and included a tap from teammate Peter Mangione was inspired by a Premier League set earlier this week, according to Kuhn.

“I don’t know if you know Trent Alexander-Arnold on Liverpool, but he scored a goal very similar to that this week and we saw the film,” Kuhn said. “We were like ‘If we have a free kick in that position, let’s give it a go.’ We did, and it worked.”

But instead of intensively practicing that look on Tuesday, the team opted for Mexican delicacies in confidence that it was already prepared for the opportunity if it presented itself against Michigan.

“I talked to that group of players about attacking free kicks — we hadn’t really practiced them — and they were like ‘Ah Coach, we know what to do. We’re good,’” coach Jeff Cook said. “And we went and had tacos.

“What we were talking about, without rehearsing it, is what happened.”

The second strike came 12 minutes later in the 24th minute as Andrew Privett found twine for the ninth time this season.

Both teams were scoreless in the second half, but not without plenty of chances. Penn State and Michigan both had three shots on goal in the final 45 minutes, all winding up saves for the teams’ respective goalkeepers.

Nittany Lion netminder Kris Shakes has now recorded a clean sheet in each of his last three appearances for the blue and white, peaking at the right time as Penn State seeks a Big Ten championship and, later, an NCAA Tournament run.

“We’re just gonna keep pushing, keep a clean sheet every game and, hopefully, just keep backing it up — keep moving on (to) get this trophy,” Shakes said.

Shakes tallied four saves on zero goals allowed against the Wolverines, bringing his tournament totals to nine saves in just two games thus far.

The Nittany Lions will play in the Big Ten Tournament championship for the second-straight year, with last season’s appearance resulting in a 3-2 loss on penalty kicks to the No. 1-seeded Indiana Hoosiers.

The team from Bloomington, Indiana, has won each of the past three conference championships, while Penn State hasn’t claimed victory over the other programs in the tournament since 2005.

Shakes, who was the Nittany Lion goalkeeper in the penalty shootout a season ago, remembers that loss to Indiana as a key motivator for this season and beyond.

“It’s really indescribable how much pain that is to lose in the Big Ten final, especially to a team that’s been winning on and on and on,” Shakes said. “It meant something to us, and it really, really hurt us.”

Kuhn and his teammates, while happy with this season’s performance so far, aren’t getting complacent one win away from the Big Ten crown.

“Last year hurt, for sure,” Kuhn said. “Of course it was fun to win the regular season this year, but I think ultimately what we all want to do is win on Sunday. I think you’re going to see a determined team.”

Penn State will have a shot at revenge, as the Hoosiers downed Northwestern 1-0 in extra time Wednesday to advance to the championship opposite the blue and white.

But even though last year’s ending left a bad taste in his team’s mouth, Cook said he doesn’t want his team to look too far into its opponent and instead focus on the Nittany Lions’ brand of soccer.

“You have to play the game that’s in front of you,” Cook said.

The Nittany Lions will next play Sunday at Jeffrey Field as they host Indiana at noon.

And — if the game swings in Penn State’s favor — Cook might make Taco Tuesday at Rec Hall a prescribed event for his squad.

“If the guys keep winning, I think we’ll have to do it every week.”