Sept. 7, 2008
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's soccer team (1-3-0) could not find net with any of its 21 total shots and fell to Bucknell (2-1-1), 2-0, in the finale of the 2008 Penn State Classic on Sunday afternoon at Jeffrey Field.
The Nittany Lions outshot Bucknell, 21-7, marking the fourth consecutive game that PSU has totaled more shots than their opponent. For the season, Penn State holds a 79-32 advantage in shots.
Earlier in the day, No. 10 Ohio State knocked off No. 18 Tulsa, 2-0. Ohio State and Bucknell shared the 2008 Penn State Classic title with the Buckeyes' Geoff Marsh and the Bison's Ross Liberati sharing tournament MVP honors.
The first half was played evenly with neither team able to put together many viable scoring opportunities. Penn State's best chance to take the lead came early in the game when freshman defender Justin Lee (Derwood, Md.), who made his first career start on Sunday, served a perfect pass into the box, targeting John Gray (Lemont, Pa.). The sophomore forward got his head on it but it bounced directly into the hands of Bucknell goalkeeper Tommy Caso.
The Nittany Lions surrendered the lead early in the second half, when just 57 seconds in, Conor O'Brien and Mark Schmiegel teamed for the Bucknell game winner.
The Bison extended their lead to 2-0 in the 79th minute. Chris Hennings tipped the ball to himself to avoid the defense and sent a skipping shot into net for his fifth goal of the season.
Corey Hertzog (Reading, Pa.) had an opportunity to get Penn State back into the game with one of the Nittany Lions' 11 second half shots. The freshman forward controlled the ball on the wing, dribbled to the middle of the field to clear the defense, and rocketed a left-footed strike from just outside the top of the box. His rising shot, however, was tipped away by the Bucknell keeper.
Redshirt sophomore Liam Fitzwater (Schuylkill Haven, Pa.) was again solid in goal for Penn State. He recorded just one save but foiled numerous other Bucknell opportunities with his aggressive play. Fitzwater and senior midfielder Ryan Badaracco (Wexford, Pa.) were named to the 2008 Penn State Classic All-Tournament Team. Badaracco, who has started all four games this year after missing the 2007 season with a knee injury, was similarly honored last weekend at Ohio State's Wolstein Classic.
Penn State will remain at home next week, hosting two non-conference games at Jeffrey Field. On Wed., Sept. 10, the Nittany Lions will take on Saint Francis (Pa.) (0-2-1) in a 7 p.m. match-up. The regional foes last regular season meeting was in 1998, a decisive 8-0 Penn State victory. On Sat., Sept. 13, James Madison (1-2) will visit Happy Valley for a 7 p.m. contest with the Lions.