Fast start, experience guides Penn State men’s soccer past Ohio State | Penn State Men’s

Looking to stay alive in the Big Ten Tournament, Penn State advanced past Ohio State in resounding fashion.

The Nittany Lions topped the Buckeyes 3-1 after utilizing a fast start to gain a quick advantage that coach Jeff Cook was certainly a fan of.

“Really proud of our team for advancing to the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament,” Cook said. “I thought Ohio State gave us everything they had.”

For the second time in as many tries this season, the blue and white were too much for Ohio State to handle.

Junior forward Daniel Bloyou explained that competing against a team twice in one season presents advantages such as knowing what to prepare for in search of a win.

“That’s the good thing about playing a team twice, you learn their weaknesses and strengths so you can improve,” Bloyou said.

Cook elaborated on how he was especially impressed with Penn State’s offense throughout this match, especially in the first half.

“The team worked extremely hard to earn just a crucial victory,” Cook said.

We’re so delighted to advance.”

Cook continued, discussing how impressed he has been with the team’s depth all season long, and how that has shown up in games like Saturday’s affair.

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“It’s not so much about who starts the game, it’s what you do when you’re on the field for Penn State,” Cook said.

Despite the productive result that will keep Penn State’s season alive, Cook’s squad is still in search of a complete game that features 90 minutes of excellent soccer.

“I still believe, as much as I’m delighted that we scored three goals, that we can do better managing our offensive transitions and creating more clear cut changes,” Cook said.

Before Penn State plays its next game Wednesday in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament, Cook stressed there are still areas of concern in the team’s game.

“At times, we lost possession and it puts you under a lot of pressure defensively, so that absolutely is going to have to improve,” Cook said. “Games are highly competitive and tense so let’s be honest, there is a fear of getting eliminated. That’s a possibility.”

Like his coach, Bloyou shared Cook’s sentiment about the areas that need to be improved in the Nittany Lions’ game.

“We just need to do little things like moving the ball and finding areas that we can attack as a team,” Bloyou said.

So long as the blue and white continues to work on the nuances of its game that require improvement, Penn State’s run in the Big Ten Tournament could continue past Wednesday.

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