Oct. 13, 2007
BOSTON - Playing without three back line regulars and its leading scorer for much of the game, the Penn State men's soccer team (4-6-2) dropped a 2-1 decision to Boston University (7-5-0) at Nickerson Field in Boston on Saturday afternoon.
The Nittany Lions fell behind early, giving up the go-ahead in the game's 11th minute. Boston University sophomore forward Shaun Taylor netted his first goal of the season to provide the Terriers with a 1-0 advantage. Aaron O'Neal and Samuel Appiah were credited with assists on the play.
Four minutes later, Penn State was dealt a severe blow when junior forward and team co-captain Jason Yeisley (Allentown, Pa.), the Big Ten's leading scorer with 16 points, left the game with an injury. He did not return to the line-up. Yeisley has been force for the Lions this season, topping the team in nearly every offensive category to complete a successful comeback from knee and foot injuries suffered last season and over the summer.
The score remained 1-0 until the game's 77th minute when the Nittany Lions netted the equalizer. Sophomore midfielder Frank Costigliola (Dix Hills, N.Y.) tipped the ball to sophomore forward Jacobo Vera (Pamplona, Spain) in the middle of the box. Vera turned and buried a hard shot low right to tie the game at 1-1. The goal was his second of the season and third of his career.
The Terriers answered back just over three minutes later when Samuel Appiah found net with what would prove to be the eventual game winner.
Senior goalkeeper Conrad Taylor (Colorado Springs, Colo.) started his 76th consecutive game between the pipes for Penn State, recording three saves against 12 Boston University shots.
Versus BU, Penn State was without the services of injured defenders Geordie MacNeill (Richmond Hill, Ont.) and Andrew Parr (Hummelstown, Pa.) and the suspended Casey Derkacz (Hamburg, N.Y.), who was serving a one-game penalty after being issued a controversial red card in the Nittany Lions' previous game, a 1-1 tie with Lafayette.
The Nittany Lions head back onto the road next week, visiting No. 22 Akron (8-2-1) for a 7:30 p.m. game on Wed., Oct. 17. The non-conference contest will mark the fourth-consecutive year that Penn State has traveled to Lee Jackson Field to face the Zips. The Lions will then return to Happy Valley to take on Big Ten opponent Wisconsin (5-4-3, 0-2-1) in a pivotal conference game scheduled for 7 p.m. on Sat., Oct. 20 at Jeffrey Field. Penn State is 11-8-1 in its series history with the Badgers and will be looking to avenge a 2-0 loss suffered last year in Madison.