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NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament: Penn State advances to Sweet 16

Photo Courtesy Penn State athletics

The Sweet 16 is set, as the NCAA Men’s Soccer tournament’s second round completed play on Sunday.

Both Pitt and Penn State’s men’s teams both advanced on Sunday with impressive wins — as the Panthers easily handled Monmouth, 6-1, and Penn State scored three first half goals en route to a 4-1 win vs UMass.

We have the latest on Pitt’s dominant win on our Live Gameday Blog, including the game recap.

FINAL: Pitt 6, Monmouth 1

Penn State, which finished as the runner-up to Indiana at the Big 10 tournament, 12th-ranked Penn State men’s soccer team (9-1-2, 6-1-1 Big Ten) downed UMass (7-2-3, 3-1-2 Atlantic 10), 4-1, in the second round of the 2020-21 NCAA Tournament to advanced to the next round of play.

The Nittany Lions started off hot in the first half, scoring three goals to carry a good lead into the break.

No. 12 Penn State now advances to play seventh-ranked and No. 8-seed Georgetown in the third round . The match will be played at WakeMed Field in Cary, N.C. on Thursday, May 6, time still TBD.

In the first pair of matches, No. 8 Georgetown and Kentucky advanced to the round of 16. The defending champion Hoyas blanked High Point 2-0 while the Wildcats had a clean sheet of their own in a 2-0 win over New Hampshire.

A little later in the afternoon, Missouri State, Marshall and Marquette would also be moving on. Milo Yosef’s OT winner put Marshall through over Fordham while Jon Koka struck twice in the final five minutes to lift Missouri State past Maryland. Marquette earned its spot in the next round by edging Loyola Marymount 3-1 on penalties after a scoreless 110 minutes.

Some high seeded teams didn’t have it as easy at Pitt did, as No. 1 Clemson had to come from behind to beat American and No. 3 Indiana were pushed to the limit, beating NEC’s St. Francis Brooklyn in a match that went to penalty kicks.

You can view the interactive bracket here and the printable bracket here.

Here are all 16 matchups of the second round:

John Krysinsky has covered soccer and other sports for many years for various publications and media outlets. He is also author of 'Miracle on the Mon' -- a book about the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, which chronicles the club, particularly the early years of Highmark Stadium with the narrative leading up to and centered around a remarkable match that helped provide a spark for the franchise. John has covered sports for Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, DK Pittsburgh Sports, Pittsburgh Sports Report, has served as color commentator on Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC broadcasts, and worked with OPTA Stats and broadcast teams for US Open Cup and International Champions Cup matches held in the US. Krysinsky also served as the Head Men’s Soccer Coach at his alma mater, Point Park University, where he led the Pioneers to the first-ever winning seasons and playoff berths (1996-98); head coach of North Catholic boys (2007-08), associate head coach of Shady Side Academy boys (2009-2014).

Glory on the Grass

Riverhounds MF Kenardo Forbes

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