UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. \u2013 Penn State men’s soccer is back in the win column after toppling Mercyhurst, 5-0, on Friday night under the lights of Jeffrey Field in University Park, Pennsylvania. The five goals mark the most in a single game by the Nittany Lions since the 2017 season. PSU had five different goal scorers in the contest.<\/p>\n
Penn State improves to 2-2-1 with the victory, while Mercyhurst drops to 0-2-2.<\/p>\n
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HOW IT HAPPENED<\/p>\n
First half <\/p>\n
A quiet first frame saw limited chances and just one goal in the books. The tally came in the 38th minute when junior midfielder Caden Grabfelder<\/a> sent in a corner kick that connected with the head of senior defender Ben Liscum<\/a>. The ricochet ended up at the feet of Van Danielson<\/a>, who put away the score to get PSU on the boards.<\/p>\n The rest of the half ended with little to update, save a caution given to Mercyhurst on a rough tackle in the closing seconds of the stanza.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Second half<\/p>\n Penn State lit up the scoreboard after the break, burying almost as many goals in the second half as the team had so far this season. Samuel Ovesen<\/a> put away the first score of the frame in the 58th minute off a free kick assist from Matthew Henderson<\/a>. Ovesen won the physical battle against his defender to get to an advantageous look to the back post, putting the ball away with little trouble.<\/p>\n Junior midfielder Morgan Marshall<\/a> scored goal number three for the Nittany Lions in the 64th minute when a cross from Henderson shot to the other end of the Laker penalty box all the way to a cutting Marshall, whole put the ball past the overcommitted Mercyhurst netminder.<\/p>\n After missing the first four matches, redshirt-junior Christian Dionne<\/a> made his return to action one to remember with the third goal of his career just 34 seconds after Marshall\u2019s. Malick Daouda<\/a> punished the Laker defense for a sloppy advance, and with one quick pass, he found Dionne at the top of the MU 18-yard box, who blasted the ball into the net when the visiting goalkeeper came chasing.<\/p>\n