EVANSTON, Ill. (October 15, 2026) – Northwestern begins a two-game homestand on Friday evening, welcoming Penn State to Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium.
Prior to the 6:30 p.m. CT kickoff, the Wildcats will honor their graduating seniors in a special ceremony. Friday’s matchup with the Nittany Lions will also serve as the program’s annual Alumni Night.
LAST TIME OUT
Northwestern gave No. 14 Washington all it could handle last Saturday in Seattle, Wash., jumping out to a 1-0 lead before the hosts scored twice inside the final 10 minutes to escape with a 2-1 victory. Aaron O’Reilly netted his second goal of 2026 from the penalty spot in the 17th minute.
SCOUTING PENN STATE
Penn State (2-7-1, 0-5-1 B1G) picked up its first point in the conference table this past Friday, battling Michigan to a 0-0 draw in Ann Arbor, Mich. The result snapped a five-game skid for the Nittany Lions.
Penn State is led by head coach Rob Dow, who is in his first season in University Park, Pa., after an outstanding nine-year run at Vermont. Dow amassed a staggering 129-41-21 (.730) record during his stint as the Catamounts’ bench boss, a run that was highlighted by a storybook 2024 season in which he piloted the program to an NCAA National Championship.
Amadou Kone and Etienne Reck lead the line for a Penn State attack that averages 1.20 goals per game. Both members of the duo have three goals on their respective ledgers, with Kone also boasting a pair of assists. Reck appears to have hit his stride of late, netting all three of his tallies across Penn State’s last three games. Despite its struggles in finding the back of the net, the Nittany Lions lead the Big Ten and rank inside the top 15 nationally in shots on goal percentage (.496).
Daniel Peluffo-Wiese has been a fixture in goal this season for Dow’s team, starting in all 10 contests. Peluffo-Wiese was credited with three saves in Penn State’s aforementioned scoreless stalemate with Michigan, a result that marked the freshman netminder's second career clean sheet.
SERIES STUFF
Friday’s Senior Night showdown will mark the 46th all-time meeting between Northwestern and Penn State in men’s soccer, a series which the Nittany Lions lead, 29-9-7 (.722). In last season’s matchup at Jeffrey Field, the two teams played to a chaotic 2-2 draw. Baraka Tarleton and Jayvin Van Deventer accounted for Northwestern’s goals, with the latter’s strike giving the Wildcats a 2-1 edge before Malick Daouda scored in the closing seconds to salvage a draw for the hosts.