Sept. 21, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's soccer team (4-3-0) will kick off a three game home stand on Wed., Sept. 23 when it hosts in-state foe Lehigh (3-2-1) in a non-conference contest set for 7 p.m. at Jeffrey Field.
The Nittany Lions are coming off a tough road trip to Virginia last weekend in which they played two games in the span of three days against teams that were separated by four hours of driving time. In a 2-1 loss to Old Dominion on Friday, Penn State was hit with four yellow cards, a red card to sophomore midfielder Mackenzie Arment (Manheim, Pa.), and an injury to starting goalkeeper Warren Gross (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.). Junior midfielder Matheus Braga (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) netted his team-high fourth goal of the season on a penalty kick opportunity.
On Sunday, the Nittany Lions fell to James Madison, 3-0. Gross started the game in goal but was limited to 45 minutes before he was replaced by redshirt freshman Bryan Heffner (Gaithersburg, Md.). Senior forward Jason Yeisley (Allentown, Pa.) led the team with three shots was Penn State was outshot for the first time this season (13-9).
Lehigh enters Wednesday's contest riding a two-game winning streak and is coming off its biggest win of the season, a 3-2 home victory over nationally ranked College of Charleston. The Mountain Hawks swept the Patriot League weekly honors, as Joe Puleo (Offensive), Adam Welch (Defensive), and Austin Decker (Rookie) were recognized by the conference. Offensively, seven of Lehigh's 11 total goals this season have come from three sources - Decker (3), Puleo (2), and Adam Gazda (2). The defense has allowed just eight goals in six games but has yet to earn a shutout.
Penn State has dominated the all-time series with Lehigh, boasting a 12-2-3 record. However, the Nittany Lions dropped a 2-1 decision to the Mountain Hawks a year ago in Bethlehem.
Fans can follow all of the action as Penn State meets Lehigh on the Internet with live stats and instant scoring updates from Gametracker or with a live audio and video webcast on Penn State All Access. Find links on the official website of Nittany Lion athletics, www.GoPSUsports.com.
Penn State men's soccer supporters can also keep up-to-date on the team throughout the season with exclusive notes, information, and photos by way of Twitter. Go to twitter.com and search psusportsjr to become a follower.
The Nittany Lions are back in action at Jeffrey Field on Sun., Sept. 27 when they open Big Ten play versus Michigan (6-1-0). Game time is set for 7 p.m. Penn State has won its last two home meetings with the Wolverines.