Aug. 23, 2008
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - For the second consecutive exhibition game, the Penn State men's soccer team outshot its opponent by a double-figure margin but could not come away with a win, as the Nittany Lions tied visiting Pitt, 2-2, on Saturday evening at Jeffrey Field.
Once again, junior midfielder Matheus Braga (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) was the offensive star of the game for Penn State, leading the team with five shots, including four on goal and the first goal of his Nittany Lion career. Penn State totaled 15 shots for the game, 12 of which were on goal, as compared to Pitt's four.
Penn State thoroughly dominated play throughout the first half on both ends of the field, getting off 11 shots while holding Pitt to just one. The Nittany Lions control of pace and possession yielded dividends in the 15th minute when Braga stepped into the scoring spotlight.
After sophomore midfielder Drew Cost (West Chester, Pa.) and junior forward Jacobo Vera (Pamplona, Spain) failed to connect on a centering pass-shot combination, the ball rolled freely near the top of the box. Braga corralled it and, noticing that the Pitt goalkeeper was out of position, cleverly chipped the ball towards goals from 20 yards out. It hit the crossbar, landed on the back of a Panther defender, and then into goal, giving Penn State the 1-0 lead.
The Nittany Lions went up 2-0 in the 32nd minute when a pair of freshmen teamed up for a scoring play. Forward Corey Hertzog (Reading, Pa.), who had subbed into the game as a replacement for the injured Vincent Salvatico (Chester Springs, Pa.), received a perfect pass from midfielder MacKenzie Arment (Manheim, Pa.) on the right wing and snuck a shot past starting Pitt goalkeeper Eric Barnes.
"We are capable of scoring a lot of goals," said 21-year Penn State head coach Barry Gorman. "We had three one-one-one opportunities with their goalkeeper and had some good crosses. Braga can score some exciting goals. Once we are healthy and fit, we will see what they can do."
Pitt got back into the game in the second half when it cut the Nittany Lion lead in half off a goal by Matt Baker in the 59th minute. Justin Boehm assisted on the play with a nice crossing pass from the right wing.
A miscommunication between goalkeeper Warren Gross (Greenfield Center, N.Y.) and his defense gave Pitt an easy goal and cost Penn State a win. Panther E.J. McCormick was the beneficiary of the Nittany Lion gift, knotting the game at the 84:51 mark.
Penn State had one last opportunity to claim the win late in the game. Jacobo Vera found a streaking and wide open Dennis Sellis (Taylorsville, Utah) deep in the Pitt zone with a beautiful entry pass but Sellis pushed the ball too far ahead when controlling it and Pitt goalkeeper Jordan Marks hauled it in before he could get a shot off.
The 2008 regular season begins for Penn State on Fri., Aug. 29 at the Bert & Iris Wolstein Soccer Classic hosted by The Ohio State University. The Lions will kick off the year by taking on Central Florida in a match-up scheduled for 5 p.m. at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Gorman will be seeking his 250th ca win when the Nittany Lions face the Golden Knights in the tournament opener. Penn State will wrap up play at the Wolstein Classic on Sun., Aug. 31 with a 12 p.m. contest against Florida Gulf Coast.