Tag: Kris Shakes

Penn State captures men’s soccer championship with revenge against Hoosiers

Penn State blanks Indiana to win Big Ten championship, now awaits NCAA fate

A year after coming up short of a Big Ten men’s soccer championship against Indiana, the Nittany Lions have their revenge. Penn State blanked Indiana 3-0 on Sunday afternoon at Jeffrey Field to win its first Big Ten championship since the 2005 season. It is the first time Penn State has won both the regular-season championship and the Big Ten tournament in the same season.

Penn State led 1-0 at halftime thanks to a goal by Daniel Boyou at the 35-minute mark and solid goaltending by Indiana’s Roman Celentano, the Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year in back-to-back seasons. But an unassisted goal by Tyger Evans early in the second half and a late goal by Pierre Reedy put the game out of reach for the visiting Hoosiers, and Penn State’s Kris Shakes never let one of Indiana’s 17 shots get by him.

“What a special day for our program at Penn State,” Penn State head coach Jeff Cook said after the victory (courtesy of GoPSUSports.com). “We’re so proud to represent this university and all of our athletic programs. It’s a great moment. I’d like to recognize our players and student-athletes and their mentality in the last few weeks of the season, their determination, their quality to achieve what we need is just remarkable. It’s a testament to what they’ve done collectively through the season.”

Now Penn State men’s soccer plays a brief waiting game before knowing what comes next for the Nittany Lions. The NCAA Men’s soccer tournament selection show streams live on Monday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. ET on the NCAA’s official website. With a regular-season title and conference tournament victory, Penn State is eager to find out how the selection committee will view their place in the field.

Penn State lost to Indiana in the 2020-21 men’s soccer tournament after coming up short on penalty kicks, 3-2.