Nov. 2, 2007
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's soccer team (6-8-3, 1-2-2) will conclude its 2007 regular season and conference schedule when it welcomes Big Ten rival Michigan (10-5-2, 0-3-2) to Jeffrey Field for a 2 p.m. game on Sun., Nov. 4.
Prior to the contest with the Wolverines, Penn State seniors Conrad Taylor (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Geordie MacNeill (Richmond Hill, Ont.), Grady Renfrow (Washington, D.C.), and Stephen Reihner (Washington, Pa.) will be honored for their contributions to the program over the past four years in a special Senior Day ceremony.
The Nittany Lions are currently positioned in fifth place in the Big Ten with five points. A victory on Sunday afternoon could move Penn State up in the final conference standings, but it can finish no higher than fourth place. Indiana presently occupies the top spot in the Big Ten followed by Ohio State, Northwestern, and Michigan State.
Entering Sunday afternoon's match-up, Penn State is just one win shy of attaining the program's 50th Big Ten victory. Since joining the conference in 1991, the Nittany Lions have compiled a 49-35-8 record. Over the sixteen seasons in which Penn State has been a member of the Big Ten, it has suffered just three losing seasons in conference action.
Penn State heads into the Michigan contest looking to build on Wednesday evening's 1-0 overtime home victory over Villanova. Freshman forward Treavor Gelsinger (Shady Grove, Pa.) netted a golden goal four minutes and 57 seconds into overtime to provide the Nittany Lions with its fifth home win of the season. Fellow freshman Drew Cost (West Chester, Pa.) earned an assist on the play, his third of the year. The Nittany Lion defense was stout, holding Villanova without a shot on goal for the game's first 85-plus minutes and to just one for the entire contest. Supported by that suffocating Penn State defense, senior goalkeeper Conrad Taylor recorded his second shutout of the year and the 23rd of his Penn State career. He now is just one shy of tying Dan Gallagher for second place on the Nittany Lion career shutouts list.
The Nittany Lions have made overtime contests a habit at home this season, as fives games, including four straight, have gone past regulation. They are 3-0-2 in those contests, highlighted by last-minute double overtime wins over Ivy League foes Pennsylvania and Cornell. Gelsinger's score versus Villanova represents the second straight overtime game winner netted by a freshman, as midfielder Drew Cost registered a golden goal in Penn State's victory over Cornell on Oct. 23. Penn State's last seven points have been notched by freshmen.
After jumping out to a red hot 8-1 start to the 2007 season, Michigan has cooled off, winning just two of its last eight games. In that recent span, the Wolverines have been outscored 16-8 after holding a remarkable 25-4 scoring advantage through their first nine games. Sophomore forward Peri Marosevic leads Michigan with five goals but seven Wolverines have scored three or more goals in 2007. Junior forward Jake Stacy tops UM in assists with nine and in points with 17. Goalkeeper Patrick Sperry, a sophomore, headlines the Michigan defense with a 1.05 goals against average and eight shutouts.
Penn State owns a 6-2-1 record in its all-time series with Michigan. The Nittany Lions will be looking to avenge a 1-0 loss to the Wolverines suffered a year ago in Ann Arbor. When Penn State last met Michigan at Jeffrey Field two years ago, history was made, as the Lions wrapped up their first undefeated and untied Big Ten season with a 3-2 overtime victory.
Fans can follow all of the action of the Penn State-Michigan game on the Internet with live stats and instant scoring updates from Gametracker or with live webcast audio and video from Jeffrey Field. Click on the gametrack PSU link on the official website of Nittany Lion athletics, www.GoPSUsports.com, to gain instant access.
Next week, the Nittany Lions will begin the pursuit of their fourth conference crown when they travel to East Lansing, Mich. for the 2007 Big Ten Men's Soccer Championship. To be hosted by Michigan State University, the battle for the 2007 title is set to begin on Thurs., Nov. 8 with three first round match-ups. Semifinal games will take place on Fri., Nov. 9 with the championship contest set for Sun., Nov. 11. All games will be played at Old College Field on the Michigan State campus. Game times and match-ups will be determined once seeding is established upon the conclusion of regular season competition. The semifinals will air live on the Big Ten Network while the championship game will be broadcast live by CSTV. Penn State possesses a 22-11-3 record in Big Ten Championship play, one of just two conference teams to possess a winning mark in the postseason tournament.