Penn State men’s soccer’s Connor Maloney and Robby Sagel will both be moving up to the professional level after being selected Tuesday in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft.
Maloney was drafted No. 49 overall by the Columbus Crew in the third round. The Philadelphia Union Academy product was unable to sign with his local team through the homegrown player rule — an MLS stipulation that allows academy players to bypass the draft and play for the team that trained them at the youth levels — because he was not a member of the academy throughout his college years.
Robby Sagel was drafted No. 70 overall by the Houston Dynamo in the fourth round. After getting invited to the combine leading up to the draft, the defender impressed enough to earn a spot on the two-time MLS Cup champion’s draft board.
Maloney, a four-year standout forward for the Nittany Lions, finished his senior season with seven goals and five assists in 15 appearances. In his four seasons, he tallied 26 goals and 17 assists in 73 starts — earning himself a spot on the All-Big Ten first team during each of his final three seasons.
Sagel transferred from Temple for two seasons with the Nittany Lions. He played in 32 matches during his junior and senior seasons — earning a spot on the All-Big Ten second team in 2016. He scored two goals in his Penn State career, including the overtime game-winner this season in a 1-0 upset of No. 19 Michigan State.
