Penn State men’s soccer: Nittany Lions beat Michigan State in Big Ten tournament opener

The Penn State men’s soccer team won its opening game at the Big Ten Championships on Saturday.

Brian James netted the golden goal in overtime to give the Nittany Lions a 2-1 win over Michigan State at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.

Connor Maloney set up James for the senior’s second game-winner of the season, finding the lower left corner of the net four minutes into the extra period.

Freshman Dayonn Harris, who had played in just five games before Saturday, scored his first collegiate goal early in the second half to give Penn State (7-7-3) the lead, but Ryan Sierakowski answered minutes later for the Spartans (8-9-2).

Evan Finney made five saves for the win as Michigan Staet held a 22-7 shot advantage.

The Nittany Lions will face site host and top-seeded Ohio State at 4 p.m. Sunday in the quarterfinals.

This story was originally published November 7, 2015 at 11:22 PM with the headline "Penn State men’s soccer: Nittany Lions beat Michigan State in Big Ten tournament opener."