Sept. 14, 2007
LOS ANGELES - The Penn State men's soccer team got a pair of second half goals from a sophomore duo to secure a 2-0 victory over Cal State Fullerton on Friday night at UCLA's Frank W. Marshall Field at Drake Stadium in Los Angeles. With the win, the Nittany Lions up their season record to 2-3-0.
The first half unfolded as a 0-0 defensive struggle, with Penn State holding Cal State Fullerton without a shot for the game's first 17-plus minutes and to just two total shots. The Nittany Lions got off four shots, including two by junior midfielder Barkley Miller (New Freedom, Pa.), but only a late shot by freshman forward Treavor Gelsinger (Shady Grove, Pa.) made it on goal.
However, Penn State quickly reversed that trend early in the second half and cracked the scoreboard. Less than two minutes in, sophomore midfielder Vincent Salvatico (Chester Springs, Pa.) and freshman defender Jon Davidsson (Reykjavik, Iceland) combined on a scoring play and for a couple of firsts. The goal by Salvatico and the assist by Davidsson were both the firsts of their Nittany Lion careers.
Penn State padded its lead and sealed the victory in the game's 81st minute when sophomore forward Jacobo Vera (Pamplona, Spain) netted his first goal of the 2007 campaign, connecting on a shot from the top of the box. Junior forward Jason Yeisley (Allentown, Pa.) earned an assist on the play for his team-high fifth point of the season.
Senior goalkeeper Conrad Taylor (Colorado Springs, Colo.), in his 69th consecutive start, recorded one save en route to collecting his first shutout of the year and 22nd career shutout.
Penn State controlled pace for much of the game and outshot the Titans, 12-5.
The Nittany Lions will complete their west coast road swing on Sunday when it faces No. 17 UCLA at 5 p.m. ET on its home field. Penn State will be seeking the program's first win over the Bruins in its fifth all-time meeting with the Pac-10 foe.
Fans can follow the Penn State-UCLA match-up on Sunday 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 the game on the Internet on the UCLA Radio Network. Click on the AUDIO link on the GoPSUsports.com home page under "upcoming events".