Nov. 4, 2007
Box Score | Photo Gallery 1 | Photo Gallery 2
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - On the strength of two second half goals, the Penn State men's soccer team (7-8-3, 2-2-2) sent its four seniors out with a thrilling victory, defeating Michigan (10-6-2, 0-4-2), 2-1, in come-from-behind fashion on Sunday afternoon at Jeffrey Field.
With the win and by virtue of Ohio State's 2-0 triumph over Michigan State on Sunday, the Nittany Lions have secured, for the second consecutive year, the No. 4 seed for the Big Ten Championship. They will begin the pursuit of their fourth conference crown when they play host Michigan State, the No. 5 seed, in a first round tournament contest on Thurs., Nov. 8 in East Lansing, Mich. at a time yet to be determined.
After surrendering a first half goal to Michigan's leading scorer, Peri Marosevic, Penn State maintained the kind of offensive pressure in the second half that earned it a 9-4 shot advantage through the game's first 45 minutes. In the 68th minute, that pressure paid dividends in the form of an equalizing goal.
Sophomore midfielder Vincent Salvatico (Chester Springs, Pa.) initiated the play by controlling a loose ball near midfield. Heading down the far sideline, Salvatico dribbled the ball into the corner before launching a well-placed centering pass that a streaking Frank Costigliola (Dix Hills, N.Y.) chipped into net up close past diving Michigan goalkeeper Patrick Sperry. For Costigliola, the goal was his third of the season while Salvatico earned his second assist of the season on the play.
With the game knotted at 1-1 and time dwindling down, Penn State looked to be headed for its fifth consecutive overtime game at home. But in the 82nd minute, a trio of Nittany Lions conspired to net the game winner.
Senior goalkeeper Conrad Taylor (Colorado Springs, Colo.) started the push by booting a goal kick that floated over the midfield stripe into the Michigan zone. The ball was controlled by freshman forward Treavor Gelsinger (Shady Grove, Pa.), who then passed it immediately to freshman midfielder Drew Cost (West Chester, Pa.). Unmarked near the top of the box, Cost let loose a laser that found the lower right corner of net. The goal was Cost's second of the season, both game winners. Gelsinger earned his team-high sixth assist of the year on the play while Taylor was credited with his third career assist.
The late game heroics versus Michigan continues a trend that Penn State has followed throughout the 2007 season. The Nittany Lions have scored 15 goals in the second half of games, not including three in the overtime periods, as compared to just six in the first half.
In his 82nd consecutive start, Conrad Taylor recorded three saves, none more important than one he earned late in the game's waning moments. With less than three minutes remaining in the contest, Michigan defender Michael Holody had a wide-open look at the goal, but Taylor aggressively came out of net, slid to successfully block the Wolverine shot, and, thus, preserve the victory.
Penn State finishes the 2007 regular season with an impressive 6-1-2 record at Jeffrey Field. Its lone loss came almost three months ago on Sept. 9, a 1-0 setback to Old Dominion in the finale of the 2007 Penn State Classic.
Should Penn State get past Michigan State in the first round of the 2007 Big Ten Championship, it would advance to face No. 1 seed Indiana in the semifinals for the second straight year. Game time would be either 11 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. on Fri., Nov. 9. All tournament games will be played at Old College Field on the Michigan State campus. The semifinals of the 2007 Big Ten Championship 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 all-time record in Big Ten Championship play, one of just two conference teams to possess a winning mark in the postseason tournament.