Aug. 31, 2008
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Penn State (1-1) outshot Florida Gulf Coast (1-1) by an 18-5 margin, including a 5-3 advantage in shots on goal, but could not find net and fell, 1-0, on Sunday afternoon in its final game at Ohio State's annual home tournament, the Wolstein Classic.
"You can't fault the effort and you can't fault the way we played," said Penn State head coach Barry Gorman. "But our execution was poor. We had our opportunities and we had our shots. We just didn't make them count."
"We are not playing badly. We just need to get more production from our offensive players."
The Nittany Lions were without goalkeeper Liam Fitzwater (Schuylkill Haven, Pa.) after he suffered a injury in the season opening shutout victory versus Central Florida on Friday evening. Redshirt freshman Warren Gross (Greenfield Center, N.Y.) replaced him, earning his first career start. He recorded two saves in the loss.
Florida Gulf Coast scored the only goal of the game early on, finding net in the 11th minute. Matt O'Shaughnessy tallied it with assists from Josey Portillo and Scott Harrison. After surrendering the quick 1-0 lead, the Penn State defense tightened up, allowing the Eagles just one shot in the second half.
Junior midfielder Matheus Braga (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) led Penn State with three shots while five different Nittany Lions recorded shots on goal.
Penn State held a 9-1 advantage in corner kicks but could not convert like it did in the opener versus UCF when Frank Costigliola (Dix Hills, N.Y.) and Bobby Bohlen (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) combined for a score.
Senior midfielder Ryan Badaracco (Wexford, Pa.) and Bohlen, a junior defender, were named to the 2008 Wolstein Classic All-Tournament Team for their outstanding play. The duo accounted for both of Penn State's goals in its victory over UCF on Friday.
The Nittany Lions will open their 2008 home schedule next weekend by welcoming Ohio State, Bucknell, and Tulsa to Jeffrey Field for the annual Penn State Classic. On the first day of competition, Fri., Sept. 5, No. 9 Ohio State will take on Bucknell (5 p.m.) and Penn State will face No. 23 Tulsa (7:30 p.m.). Day two action, scheduled for Sun., Sept. 7, will pit Ohio State versus Tulsa (noon) and Penn State against Bucknell (3:30 p.m.). Both Sunday games will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network. Admission to the Penn State Classic and to all home men's soccer games is free.