Oct. 16, 2007
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's soccer team (4-6-2) will face its third consecutive non-conference opponent when it visits No. 23 Akron (8-2-2) for a 7:30 p.m. game on Wed., Oct. 17. The match-up between the Big Ten and Mid-American Conference foes will mark the third straight year that the Nittany Lions have traveled to Lee Jackson Field to take on the Zips.
Last weekend, Penn State suffered a 2-1 setback to Boston University on the road. Sophomore forward Jacobo Vera (Pamplona, Spain) accounted for the Nittany Lions' score, netting his second goal of the season. Sophomore midfielder Frank Costigliola (Dix Hills, N.Y.) notched his third assist of the year on the play. However, the result was overshadowed by the loss of junior forward Jason Yeisley (Allentown, Pa.), who left the game with a significant injury in the 15th minute. Yeisley, the team's leader in goals (6), assists (4), and points (16), was back at full strength after suffering a season-ending knee injury last year and a broken foot over the summer and was putting together an All-America-type campaign in 2007.
With Yeisley on the shelf, the Nittany Lions young squad will become even younger. Their front line will likely feature Vera alongside freshman Treavor Gelsinger (Shady Hills, Pa.), who currently is tied for second on the team with seven points. However, Penn State has gotten significant contributions from its younger players all season, as freshmen or sophomores have totaled 28 of its 52 points.
Led by former Indiana great head coach Caleb Porter, Akron enters Wednesday evening's contest coming off a 0-0 draw with MAC rival Northern Illinois. The shutout was the Zips' fourth-straight and sixth in seven games. UA goalkeeper Evan Bush has held opponents scoreless for the last 700 minutes of play, dating to the first half of a home match against Illinois-Chicago on Sept. 13. A trio of players, made up of Matt Tutich, Elliot Bradbrook, and Pablo Moreira, spearheads the Zips' attack. Each has recorded three goals this season. The Akron offense is hallmarked by balance, however, as nine different players have netted goals. Freshman midfielder Anthony Ampaipitakwong, thanks to a team-high seven assists, leads the Zips with nine points.
Penn State holds a 13-10-4 record in its series history with Akron. The Nittany Lions have met the Zips on the pitch in five consecutive seasons, recording a 2-2-1 record over that span. A year ago, behind a standout performance from goalkeeper Conrad Taylor (Colorado Springs, Colo.), PSU played No. 18 Akron to a 0-0 tie.
Fans can follow all of the action of the Penn State-Akron game on the Internet with live stats and instant scoring updates. Click on the gametrack PSU link on the official website of Nittany Lion athletics, www.GoPSUsports.com, to access all of the live scoring features.
The Nittany Lions return to Happy Valley to begin a two-game home stretch this weekend when they welcome Big Ten foe Wisconsin to Jeffrey Field for a 7 p.m. match-up on Sat., Oct. 20. 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. The Lions will conclude the short home stand on Tues., Oct. 23 when they host Ivy League member Cornell in a non-conference contest set for 7 p.m. Penn State owns an 8-2-3 all-time mark versus the Big Red, including a 2-1 victory in their last meeting in 2005 in Ithaca, N.Y.