Nov. 6, 2007
2007 Big Ten Championship Notes | Championship Bracket | Championship Website
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The fourth-seeded Penn State men's soccer team (7-8-3, 2-2-2 Big Ten) will take on host Michigan State (11-4-3, 2-3-1), the No. 5 seed, in a first round match-up of the 2007 Big Ten Championship on Thurs., Nov. 8 at 2 p.m. ET in East Lansing, Mich. All tournament games will be held at the home of the Spartans, Old College Field.
The Nittany Lions' contest with the Spartans will follow games featuring No. 3 seed Northwestern (11-3-3, 3-2-1) versus No. 6 seed Wisconsin (6-6-6, 0-3-3) (9 a.m.) and No. 2 seed Ohio State (10-3-4, 3-1-1) versus No. 7 seed Michigan (10-5-2, 0-4-2) (11:30 a.m.).
Should Penn State get past Michigan State in the first round, it would advance to face No. 1 seed Indiana (12-4-3, 4-0-2) in a semifinal contest scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Fri., Nov. 9. The winners of the Northwestern-Wisconsin and Ohio State-Michigan games will face each other at 11 a.m. in the other semifinal match-up. The 2007 title game is set for 2 p.m. on Sun., Nov. 11.
Already the program's all-time winningest coach, Barry Gorman will be seeking his 250th win at Penn State when his Nittany Lions take the pitch versus the Spartans on Thursday. Over his 20-year distinguished career in Happy Valley, Gorman has led Penn State to 12 NCAA appearances and three Big Ten Championships and has coached 40 First Team All-Big Ten selections. He was named Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2005 and NSCAA Regional Coach of the Year in 1992, 1999, and 2005.
Winners of three of its last four games, Penn State enters the postseason playing its best soccer of the second half of the season and as one the hotter teams in the Big Ten. Last weekend, the Nittany Lions got a late goal from freshman midfielder Drew Cost (West Chester, Pa.) to defeat Michigan, 2-1, in a Senior Day thriller at Jeffrey Field. Senior goalkeeper Conrad Taylor (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and freshman forward Treavor Gelsinger (Shady Grove, Pa.) were credited with assists on the game winner. Sophomore Frank Costigliola (Dix Hills, N.Y.), with an assist from classmate Vincent Salvatico (Chester Springs, Pa.), netted his third goal of the season to even the game earlier in the second half. The victory secured Penn State its 50th Big Ten win.
While Penn State's small core of upperclassmen has served as its foundation throughout this season, it has been its younger players that have fueled its resurgence and supplied spark to the Nittany Lion attack. A total of thirteen underclassmen have seen action this season, combining for 105 of 198 starts (53%). However, they are not just playing, they are significantly contributing, as 51 of Penn State's 77 total points (66%) have been recorded by freshmen or sophomores, including 22 of its last 25 points. Since star forward and leading scorer Jason Yeisley (Allentown, Pa.) suffered a season-ending knee injury on Oct. 13, two players in particular, freshmen Treavor Gelsinger and Drew Cost, have stepped in to help fill the void. Together, they have accounted for 10 points and three game-winning goals in the last five games.
Michigan State won 11 of its first 15 games but dropped three straight to end the season, all by a score of 2-0. The Spartans signature victory came on Oct. 10 when they defeated then-No. 3 Notre Dame, 1-0, in East Lansing. The Michigan State attack, which is ranked fourth in the Big Ten with 28 goals, is spearheaded by junior forward Doug DeMartin. He leads the Spartans and the Big Ten with 11 goals and 22 points. Senior forward Kenzo Webster (4 goals, 6 assists) and senior midfielder Kevin Reiman (1 goal, 5 assists) are also key components to the MSU offense. Senior goalkeeper Chris Austin has started every game for veteran head coach Joe Baum, logging every available minute throughout the 2007 campaign. Austin owns a 0.84 goals against average and has recorded seven shutouts.
Penn State holds a 15-7-1 record in its all-time series with Michigan State, including a 5-1 mark in Big Ten Championship competition. Earlier this season on Sept. 23, Penn State got two goals from junior forward Jason Yeisley in a 2-2 draw with Michigan State in East Lansing. The Nittany Lions last faced the Spartans in Big Ten Championship play in 2005, claiming a 2-0 semifinal victory en route to their third conference title. 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.
The Big Ten Network and CSTV will televise the 2007 Big Ten Men's Soccer Championship, providing television coverage of the semifinals and finals for the first time in conference history. The semifinals will be aired live by the Big Ten Network while the championship contest will feature live coverage by both the Big Ten Network and CSTV. The Big Ten Network will broadcast the contest on either a regional basis or alternate channels.
Fans can also follow all of the Penn State soccer action at the 2007 Big Ten Championship on the Internet with live stats and instant scoring updates from Gametracker. Click on the gametrack PSU link on the official website of Nittany Lion athletics, www.GoPSUsports.com, to access all of the Gametracker features.