Soccer: Men's
Nittany Lions drop out of the rankings
A week after falling three spots in the NCAA rankings, the Lions fell in the rankings again. This time, they now find themselves unranked for the first time this season.
At this time last week, the team was looking forward to the three-game home stand that was coming up with Georgetown, Michigan, and Penn all coming to town. Wins over these teams would have greatly improved the team’s ranking.
One week later, the Lions are 0-1-1 on the home stand, drawing 0-0 with the Hoyas and suffering their first loss at home of the season, 2-1 Saturday night against Michigan. With just Penn left for the Lions on this home stand, it is crucial that they beat the Quakers to boost their RPI. The team said a loss tonight would really hurt the team come tournament time.
The squad did receive 29 votes from the NCAA coaches that vote on the rankings.
Keys to tonight’s contest at Jeffrey Field will be for the Lions to mark up in the box — something senior defender Mark Fetrow said that team did not do well, especially late in the last match against Michigan — controlling the possession and capitalizing on their opportunities.
Penn State looks to break their four game winless streak and bounce back from its first home loss of the season tonight against the Quakers.
Kickoff is slated for 7 pm at Jeffrey Field.