Oct. 3, 2008
Penn State-Northwestern Game Notes
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's soccer team (2-6-2, 0-1-0) will continue Big Ten play on Sat., Oct. 4 when it meets No. 3 Northwestern (8-0-2, 1-0-0) in a 4:30 p.m. ET game at Lakeside Field in Evanston, Ill. The conference clash will be broadcast nationally live on the Big Ten Network.
The Nittany Lions kicked off their conference schedule last weekend, dropping a tightly contested 4-3 decision to Michigan State at Jeffrey Field. Sophomore forward Treavor Gelsinger (Shady Grove, Pa.), who scored his first two goals of the season, and freshman midfielder MacKenzie Arment (Manheim, Pa.), who netted the first score of his collegiate career, accounted for Penn State's season-high goal total. Freshman goalkeeper Warren Gross (Greenfield Center, N.Y.) made just his second career start versus the Spartans, recording one save in the loss. The Nittany Lions outshot their opponent for the eighth time this season, totaling 20, including a season-high 11 on goal, as compared to Michigan State's nine. Penn State also had a 4-0 advantage in corner kicks.
Northwestern is off to its best start in program history, remaining unbeaten through its first 10 games, including a Big Ten season opening win over Ohio State on Sept. 27. In their last outing, this Tuesday night, the Wildcats played No. 11 St. Louis to a 0-0 tie, holding the Billikens without a shot on goal. The Northwestern attack has been productive this season, totaling 16 goals. Sophomore forward Matt Eliason leads NU with eight goals while senior midfielder Tyler Voigt has tallied a team-high four assists. Northwestern also boasts one the nation's top defenses. The Wildcats, anchored by goalkeeper Misha Rosenthal, have allowed just one goal in 10 games.
Penn State has dominated the all-time series with Northwestern, compiling a 21-1-1 record. Since their first meeting in 1991, PSU has outscored Northwestern, 56-16, while recording 10 shutouts. The Nittany Lions added to that total and stretched their series win streak to four straight a year ago when they knocked off the No. 3 Wildcats, 2-1, at Jeffrey Field in their Big Ten Network debut. Penn State has never lost to Northwestern in regular season play, with its lone loss coming in a first round match-up of the 2004 Big Ten Championship.
Fans can also follow all of the action of the Penn State-Northwestern clash on the Internet with live stats and instant scoring updates from Gametracker. Find a link on the official website of Nittany Lion athletics, www.GoPSUsports.com.
The Nittany Lions return home for their third straight Big Ten match-up next weekend when No. 21 Ohio State (6-2-1, 1-1-0 Big Ten) visits Jeffrey Field. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start on Sat., Oct. 11. Penn State holds a 13-8-2 record in its series with Ohio State, including last season's tough 1-0 loss in Columbus.