Sept. 26, 2008
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's soccer team (2-5-2, 0-0-0 Big Ten) will open Big Ten play for the 2008 season on Sun., Sept. 28 when it battles Michigan State (3-4-0, 0-1-0 Big Ten) in a 2 p.m. contest at Jeffrey Field. The Nittany Lions are 1-2-1 at home this season, tying James Madison 1-1 in their last outing at Jeffrey Field on Sept. 13.
Penn State is 8-7-2 overall in Big Ten openers, including a 6-1-1 record since 2000. Sunday's game will mark the third consecutive year that the Nittany Lions have kicked off conference action versus Michigan State. Penn State has began league play the most times against Indiana, accounting for 11 of its 17 openers.
On Wednesday evening, playing without the services of injured sophomore defender Andres Casais (Caracas, Venezuela) and sophomore forward John Gray (Lemont, Pa.), Penn State struggled in its meeting with in-state foe Penn, coming up on the short end of a 3-0 decision at the Quakers' Rhodes Field in Philadelphia. The Nittany Lions were outshot (10-4) for the second consecutive game after beginning the season with a 145-61 advantage in shots through the first seven contests. Redshirt sophomore Liam Fitzwater (Schuylkill Haven, Pa.) started his seventh straight game in goal, recording four saves.
After dropping a tough 1-0 decision to Ohio State in its Big Ten opener on Sept. 21, Michigan State bounced back with a 6-0 trouncing of Western Michigan on Wednesday. Senior forward Doug DeMartin fuels a Spartans attack that has notched 16 goals in seven games, leading the team and the Big Ten with six goals and 14 points. Jeff Ricondo (2 goals, 2 assists), Spencer Thompson (2 goals, 2 assists), and Zac Scaffidi (1 goal, 3 assists) are also key offensive contributors. In goal, sophomore Avery Steinlage (2-1, 0.35 GAA) and freshman Jeremy Clark (1-3, 2.19 GAA) have started three games each.
In 2007, Penn State played Michigan State to two draws, making its all-time record against the Spartans 15-7-2. Early in the season, Penn State tied MSU 2-2 in the teams' regular season contest in East Lansing. The Lions returned to Michigan State's home field in November for a first round match-up at the Big Ten Championship, falling in penalty kicks, 4-3, after a 0-0 regulation tie.
Fans can follow all of the action of the Penn State-Michigan State match-up on the Internet with live stats and instant scoring updates from Gametracker or with a live audio and video webcast. Find a link on the official website of Nittany Lion athletics, www.GoPSUsports.com.
The Nittany Lions will continue conference play on Sat., Oct. 4 when they travel to Evanston, Ill. to take on No. 7 Northwestern (7-0-1, 0-0-0 Big Ten) in a 4:30 p.m. ET match-up at the home of the Wildcats, Lakeside Field. The game will broadcast live by the Big Ten Network. Penn State has dominated the all-time series with Northwestern, compiling a 21-1-1 record. In 2007, the Lions knocked off the No. 3 Wildcats, 2-1, at Jeffrey Field in PSU's debut appearance on the BTN.