Oct. 20, 2007
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's soccer team (4-7-3, 1-1-2) scored three consecutive goals to overcome a two-goal deficit but ultimately had to settle for a 3-3 tie in its battle with Big Ten rival Wisconsin (5-5-5, 0-3-2) on Saturday night at Jeffrey Field.
The Nittany Lions spotted Wisconsin an early lead by surrendering two goals in the through the game's first 6:19. Junior forward Victor Diaz put the Badgers up 1-0 just 54 seconds into the game when he raced around a Penn State defender and chipped a shot over goalkeeper Conrad Taylor (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and into the net. Less than six minutes later, off a corner kick, senior midfielder Nick Caronna scored, giving UW a 2-0 advantage.
Undaunted by the slow start, the young Nittany Lions tightened up their defense, gained control of the time of possession, and started to apply pressure on the attack. That pressure paid dividends in the 23rd minute. During a push into the Wisconsin zone, freshman forward Treavor Gelsinger (Shady Grove, Pa.) was pulled down from behind in the box while attempting to corral an entry pass, earning Penn State a penalty kick. Head coach Barry Gorman selected sophomore forward Jacobo Vera (Pamplona, Spain) to take it and his shot deflected off of UW goalkeeper Alex Horwath's hands, then the post and bounded into goal. Vera's third goal of the season cut the Badger lead in half and shifted momentum toward the Lions.
Less than two minutes later, Penn State evened the game. Treavor Gelsinger controlled a loose ball and headed down the right wing, drawing the attention of the Wisconsin defense. Gelsinger centered a perfect pass to sophomore midfielder Vincent Salvatico (Chester Springs, Pa.), who had snuck behind the defense and was streaking into the UW zone. Salvatico received the pass and put the ball in net from 10 yards out for his third goal of the season.
After the break, the Nittany Lions wasted little time gaining its first lead of the game. In the 48th minute, junior midfielder Barkley Miller (New Freedom, Pa.) set up for a corner kick. Miller launched a well-placed pass into the box that freshman defender Casey Derkacz (Hamburg, N.Y.) dove at and headed into net for his first career goal.
However, Penn State could not hold the lead and a Wisconsin goal by Taylor Waspi in the 69th minute tied the game. Play in the final 20 minutes of regulation could not render a game winner and PSU headed into overtime for the third time at home this season.
The Nittany Lions outshot Wisconsin 3-2 in the overtime periods but could not connect for the game winner.
Senior goalkeeper Conrad Taylor kept his start streak in tact versus Wisconsin, minding the Penn State net in his 78th consecutive game. The two-time First Team All-Big Ten selection registered five saves against 12 Wisconsin shots.
Penn State welcomed back two key players from injury versus Wisconsin. Senior defender Geordie MacNeill (Richmond Hill, Ont.), who has been out of the line-up since the second game of the season, was inserted into the contest after the Nittany Lions were down 2-0 and provided the depleted back line with a much-needed lift. Sophomore midfielder Daniel Martini (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) also returned after missing the last five games with a groin injury.
The Nittany Lions will conclude their brief two-game home stand on Tues., Oct. 23 when they host Ivy League member Cornell at Jeffrey Field 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 the teams' last meeting in 2005 in Ithaca, N.Y.