Oct. 10, 2007
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Freshman forward Treavor Gelsinger (Shady Grove, Pa.) scored his second goal of the season but it was a controversial red card that ended up being the deciding factor in Penn State's 1-1 tie with non-conference foe Lafayette on Wednesday evening at Jeffrey Field.
After a sluggish scoreless first half, Penn State ramped up the offensive pressure in the second half and, in the game's 58th minute, its efforts paid big dividends. Senior defender Grady Renfrow (Washington, D.C.) initiated the scoring play by controlling a loose ball near midfield. Renfrow then passed ahead to junior forward Jason Yeisley (Allentown, Pa.), who was positioned near the top of the box. Yeisley played the pass off his chest and fed the ball to the awaiting Gelsinger. A Lafayette defender blocked his original attempt, but Gelsinger persisted and, with a sliding shot, connected with the ball and chipped it into goal. Renfrow and Yeisley were credited with assists on the play. For Yeisley, it was his team-high fourth assist of the year and upped his team-best point total to 16.
The goal snapped Lafayette's six-game shutout streak and increased Gelsinger's season point total to seven, good enough for second on the team.
The game's turning point would come less than nine minutes later when freshman defender Casey Derkacz (Hamburg, N.Y.) was whistled for taking down a Lafayette player from behind on a potential breakaway. Originally issued a yellow card, the lead official stopped play to confer with his linesman about the decision. After a brief discussion, the yellow card was changed to a red card, forcing Penn State to play down a man for the remainder of the game.
The Nittany Lion defense, led by senior goalkeeper Conrad Taylor (Colorado Springs, Colo.), battled valiantly for the next 19-plus minutes, stopping several Lafayette scoring chances. But with 1:31 remaining, the Leopards broke through. Senior midfielder Scott Hawkins played a pass ahead to freshman forward B.J. Glenn, who was streaking towards the Penn State goal. Taylor came out to meet Glenn and prevent him from getting off a solid shot. However, the ball struck the sliding Taylor, bounding over him and into the goal.
Continuing to play 10 versus 11 throughout the overtime periods, Penn State was outshot 5-3 but hustle and determination helped to salvage a tie for the Nittany Lions. For the game, Penn State had a 15-12 advantage in shots. Junior midfielder Barkley Miller (New Freedom, Pa.) and sophomore midfielder Frank Costigliola (Dix Hills, N.Y.) led the Lions with four each.
The late goal spoiled an otherwise tremendous performance by Conrad Taylor. He recorded four saves for the game but repeatedly foiled other Lafayette scoring chances by catching Lafayette entry passes off of set pieces.
With the draw, the Nittany Lions' season record moves to the 4-5-2 mark while the Leopards now stand at 6-1-4.
The Nittany Lions will continue their run of games against non-conference foes this weekend when they face Boston University (5-5-0) on Sat., Oct. 13 at the Terriers' Nickerson Field in Boston. Game time is set for 2 p.m. Next week, Penn State remains on the road, traveling to play Akron (8-2-1) on Wed., Oct. 17 in a 7:30 p.m. game. The Nittany Lions will return to Big Ten play on Sat., Oct. 20 when they host Wisconsin (5-4-2).