Oct. 24, 2008
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's soccer (4-8-2, 1-2-0 Big Ten) will begin a crucial final stretch run on Sun., Oct. 26 when it squares off with Wisconsin (7-6-2, 0-4-1 Big Ten) at 1:30 p.m. ET at the McClimon Memorial Track/Soccer Complex in Madison, Wis. The match-up with the Badgers is the Nittany Lions' first of three against Big Ten opponents in their final four regular season contests. Also, included in that group of four games are match-ups with three nationally ranked opponents.
Penn State will look to rebound from a 2-1 loss to Lehigh suffered on Tuesday evening in Bethlehem, Pa. when it battles the Badgers on Sunday afternoon. Early defensive lapses proved costly and too much to overcome for the Lions, as the Mountain Hawks built a 2-0 lead through the game's first 25 minutes. Forward Treavor Gelsinger (Shady Grove, Pa.) drew Penn State to within one with his sixth goal of the season in the 71st minute, banking in a shot off the post from 18 yards out, but the rally would fall short. Junior midfielder Matheus Braga (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), played an active game, leading the team with seven shots and tallying his second assist of the season on Gelsinger's goal.
Gelsinger, who ranks seventh in the Big Ten in goals, has emerged as an offensive force of late, netting all six of his scores in the last five games. The 2007 All-Big Ten Freshman Team honoree also tops Penn State in points (12), shots on goal (15), shot percentage (22.2%), and shots on goal percentage (55.6%).
The Nittany Lions are currently positioned in a fifth place tie with Indiana in the Big Ten standings with games versus the Hoosiers (Nov. 1) and Michigan (Nov. 8) remaining after Sunday. Seeding for the Big Ten Championship, which is scheduled for Nov. 13-16 in Madison, Wis., remains unsettled, meaning Penn State could move up significantly with wins in the final two weeks of the regular season.
Senior co-captain Ryan Badaracco is just one of two Nittany Lions to start every game this season |
Wisconsin enters Sunday's Big Ten match-up coming off a 2-0 blanking of UW-Green Bay on Monday evening. Senior forward Victor Diaz made a triumphant return to the Badgers' starting line-up for the first time in three weeks, netting a goal just 41 seconds into the non-conference contest. Junior forward Scott Lorenz filled the void in Diaz's absence, totaling a team-high seven goals and 17 points. Defense has proven to be the key to Wisconsin success this season, though. In five of its seven wins, UW has recorded shutouts and it is 0-3-1 when allowing more two or more goals this season. Starting goalkeeper Alex Horvath notched four of those shutouts and has amassed a 1.03 goals against average.
Penn State possesses an 11-8-2 record in its all-time series with Wisconsin. The Nittany Lions have dropped the last three meetings in Madison dating back to 2002 and is 4-5 versus the Badgers in games played at the McClimon Complex. A year ago, Penn State played Wisconsin to a hard-fought 3-3 draw at Jeffrey Field, getting goals from Jacobo Vera (Pamplona, Spain), Vincent Salvatico (Chester Springs, Pa.), and Casey Derkacz (Hamburg, N.Y.).
Fans can follow all of the action of the Penn State-Wisconsin contest on the Internet with live stats and instant scoring updates. Find a link on the official website of Nittany Lion athletics, www.GoPSUsports.com.
The Nittany Lions return home for the first time in three games and a period of over two weeks on Wed., Oct. 29 when they welcome No. 5 Akron (11-1-2, 4-0-0 MAC) to Jeffrey Field for a 7 p.m. contest. The match-up will mark the seventh consecutive season that the two non-conference foes have faced off, but will be just the third time that Penn State has hosted the Zips in that span. Overall, the Lions hold a 13-11-4 record in their all-time series versus Akron.