Sept. 25, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's soccer team (4-3-1) will open Big Ten play for the 2009 season on Sun., Sept. 27 when it battles No. 22 Michigan (7-1-0) in a 2 p.m. contest at Jeffrey Field. The Nittany Lions own a 3-0-1 record at home this season, outscoring opponents by a 12-2 margin.
Penn State was in control for most of its Wednesday night match-up with Lehigh but could not convert on numerous scoring opportunities to put the game away and had to settle for a 1-1 tie. Sophomore forward Corey Hertzog (Reading, Pa.) accounted for the Nittany Lions' lone score, netting his fourth goal of the season in the 71st minute. Junior midfielder Drew Cost (West Chester, Pa.) and senior forward Jason Yeisley (Allentown, Pa.) earned assists on the play.
Hertzog is tied for the team lead in goals (4) and points (10) with junior midfielder Matheus Braga (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) while Yeisley tops the team in assists with three.
Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Warren Gross (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) battled through an injury suffered last weekend to play all 110 minutes and record three saves. Michigan, which was picked to finish seventh in the Big Ten coaches preseason poll, enters Sunday's conference clash red shot, stringing together a seven-game win streak which has included victories over Wright State, Lipscomb, Detroit, Western Michigan, and Bowling Green. The Wolverines' offense is firing on all cylinders, as they have outscored those last five opponents by a 19-3 margin. Senior forward Mauro Fuzetti (7 goals, 2 assists, 16 points) and junior forward Justin Meram (5 goals, 5 assists, 15 points) headline the potent Michigan attack but 10 Wolverines have netted goals while 14 have earned at least one point. After giving up five goals in a shutout rout by Notre Dame to open the season, the Michigan defense has stiffened, allowing just five goals in the last seven games.
Penn State is 7-3-1 all-time versus Michigan, with a 3-1 record in games played at Jeffrey Field. A year ago, the Nittany Lions fell to the Wolverines, 2-0, in Ann Arbor. In 2007, when PSU last welcomed Michigan to Happy Valley, the Lions claimed a 2-1 victory, getting goals from Frank Costigliola (Dix Hills, N.Y.) and Drew Cost.
Fans can follow all of the action of the Penn State-Michigan match-up 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 will wrap up their three-game home stand on Wed., Sept. 30 when Penn (3-2-2) visits Jeffrey Field for a 7 p.m. contest. Penn State holds a 19-6-3 series record versus the Quakers. In the teams' last meeting in University Park, in 2007, the Lions came away 3-2 victors on the strength of two goals from Jason Yeisley.