Penn State men’s soccer team signs pair of Pennsylvania natives

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State men’s soccer head coach Jeff Cook signed two recruits during the early signing period for the 2021 class.

Both recruits, Sean Bettenhausen and Ben Liscum, are Pennsylvania natives.

Bettenhausen comes to Happy Valley from Media, Pennsylvania. During the 2020 USL season, he spent time with the Philadelphia Union II, making four total appearances with one start. The central midfielder spent eight years in total with the Philadelphia Union Academy. He recorded an 80 percent starting rate during the 2017 season and scored two goals in 2018 and three goals in 2019 with 12 starts that season.

Bettenhausen will graduate from Malvern Preparatory School in spring 2021 and intends to major in finance at Penn State.

BETTENHAUSEN ON WHY PENN STATE
“Penn State naturally felt like the right place for me. Right when I got there I knew it was the spot I wanted to be at.”

COACH COOK ON BETTENHAUSEN
“Sean is a central midfielder with a very bright future. For a player of his age he has a great deal of experience at a high level of play. His game intelligence and awareness are outstanding, and we look forward to Sean’s contributions to our program on and off the field.”

Liscum comes to Happy Valley from just about an hour away in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. The central midfielder started his soccer career with North Union United SC as part of the North Central-Penn League before transitioning to play for Lehigh Valley United in the US Youth Soccer National League. In a shortened 2019-20 season, Liscum helped his team to an undefeated 3-0-1 record with two goals and one assist. The team was also the 2019 USYS National League division winners and National Championship Series qualifier.

Liscum also played four seasons with Lewisburg Area High School. He totaled 74 total goals and 70 total assists, including an impressive 24 goals and 35 assists during the 2019 season. Liscum helped the Green Dragons to a 2017 and 2019 PIAA AA District IV championship and a state final four those seasons. He was named a first-team All-League forward in 2017 and 2019. He also garnered Pennsylvania All-State and United Soccer Coaches Regional All-American honors in 2019. Liscum and his team also earned a United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award each of his four seasons.

Liscum will graduate from Lewisburg Area in spring 2021 and intends to major in finance at Penn State.

LISCUM ON WHY PENN STATE
“Penn State University is a prestigious academic institution that offers both a world-class education and premier soccer experience. It has one of the most well-respected and talented soccer programs in the country and I am honored to be a part of it. It has been my dream for many years to attend Penn State and represent the men’s soccer team by wearing the Blue and White on Jeffrey Field. I am very excited to commit myself to my studies and this team for the next four years.”

COACH COOK ON LISCUM
“We are excited about Ben’s potential – he is an aggressive, direct attacking player with a fierce determination to succeed. He has good positional flexibility and a team-first attitude which will fit in perfectly with our program’s values.”