Sept. 13, 2007
Cal State Fullerton-UCLA Game Notes
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's soccer team (1-3-0) will undertake its longest road trip of the season this weekend, journeying west to California for match-ups with Cal State Fullerton (3-1-0) and No. 17 UCLA (0-2-1). The Nittany Lions will face the CSF Titans on Fri., Sept. 14 at 8 p.m. ET and the Bruins on Sun., Sept. 16 at 5 p.m. ET. Both games will be played at the home of the Bruins, Frank W. Marshall at Drake Stadium, on the UCLA campus in Los Angeles.
The Nittany Lions split a pair of games as hosts of the Penn State Classic last weekend, routing William & Mary, 4-1, on Friday, before falling to Old Dominion, 1-0, on Sunday. Junior forward Jason Yeisley (Allentown, Pa.) scored two goals and freshman forward Treavor Gelsinger (Shady Grove, Pa.) tallied two assists to spark the Penn State attack versus the Tribe. Junior midfielder Barkley Miller (New Freedom, Pa.) and sophomore midfielder Frank Costigliola (Dix Hills, N.Y.) also netted goals in the win. Yeisley along with senior defender Grady Renfrow (Washington, D.C.), and freshman defender Andres Casais (Caracas, Venezuela) were named to the 2007 Penn State Classic All-Tournament Team for their standout play throughout the weekend.
After starting the season with consecutive shutout wins over Long Island, Detroit Mercy, and Memphis, Cal State Fullerton's perfect season came to an abrupt end with a 4-0 loss to Michigan on Sept. 9. The trademark of the Titans' offense thus far this season is balance, as their five goals have come from five different players. Sophomore midfielder Michael Farfan and senior defender German Moreano lead CSF with three points. Senior Brent Douglas has started all three games in goal for the Titans, totaling 292 minutes while compiling a 0.31 goals against average.
Penn State possesses a 2-1-0 record in its series history with Cal State Fullerton. The Nittany Lions and the Titans last met on the pitch in 2005, a 2-0 PSU victory at Jeffrey Field. Goals by Markku Viitanen and Jason Yeisley lifted the Lions to the win in the finale of the 2005 Penn State Classic.
After advancing to the NCAA championship game a year ago, UCLA entered 2007 as the No. 2 ranked team in the nation, but struggles on offense and a brutal early season schedule have conspired to produce the Bruins' disappointing 0-2-1 start. Sophomore defender Chance Myers netted UCLA's lone goal in a season opening overtime loss to Notre Dame. While the Bruins' attack has sputtered, its defense has been stout, allowing just three goals. Sophomore goalkeeper Brian Perk has been the defensive anchor, compiling 11 saves and a 0.92 goals against average.
In four meetings in Penn State program history, the Nittany Lions have yet to claim victory against UCLA. The teams last played at the 2005 Penn State Classic, a 1-0 win for the Bruins at Jeffrey Field. The Nittany Lions also played UCLA in 1995 (4-1), 2002 (7-1), 2003 (5-2).
Fans can follow all of the Penn State men's soccer action this weekend with live stats and instant scoring updates on Gametracker. Click on the gametrack PSU link on the official website of Nittany Lion athletics, www.GoPSUsports.com. Fans can also listen to a live radio broadcast of Sunday's Penn State-UCLA contest on the Internet on the UCLA Radio Network. Click on the AUDIO link on the GoPSUsports.com home page under "upcoming events".
The Nittany Lions will kick off Big Ten Conference play next weekend when they visit East Lansing, Mich. for a 2 p.m. match-up with Michigan State on Sun., Sept. 23. Penn State has taken the last five meetings with the Spartans, outscoring them 9-2 during the winning streak. Michigan State is off to a fast start in 2007, posting a 4-0-0 record with home games against Florida International and Kentucky on the schedule this weekend.