Oct. 14, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - On the strength of two goals from senior forward Jason Yeisley (Allentown, Pa.), No. 24-ranked Penn State (8-3-2) pushed past Lafayette (7-4-1), 2-0, on a bone chilling Wednesday night in Happy Valley. With the win, the Nittany Lions remain undefeated at home, upping their Jeffrey Field record to 6-0-2 on the season.
The unseasonably cold temperatures did little to put a freeze on Penn State's trend of dominating at home. The Lions have outscored their opponents 22-3 and have recorded five shutouts in eight games at Jeffrey Field this season.
For Yeisley, the two-score performance was the eighth multi-goal game of his career and third of 2009. The goals were his team-high seventh and eighth of the season and also moved him into the top spot in points with 20. Sophomore forward Corey Hertzog (Reading, Pa.) and junior midfielder Matheus Braga (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) each tallied an assist on one of the goals, giving each a team-best five for the year.
Redshirt junior goalkeeper Warren Gross (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) registered four saves en route to his Big Ten-leading seventh shutout of season. He also tops the conference in goals against average, which dipped to 0.48 with tonight's clean sheet.
Reunited for the first time since the Michigan State game on Oct. 4, Penn State's customary starting 11 struggled to recapture its rhythm in the first half. Bent on preventing the Nittany Lions from establishing any continuity on the attack, Lafayette packed it in on the defensive end, limiting scoring runs by Penn State.
The Lions' best first half chance came with 5:26 remaining when junior forward Treavor Gelsinger (Shady Grove, Pa.), who had checked into the game in the stead of Hertzog, poked a through ball to Braga who was streaking down the middle of the field. Racing ahead of the defense, Braga accepted the pass and got a solid shot off from 10 yards out but the attempt clanked dead-on off the left post.
Corey Hertzog is second on the team in points with 17 and is tied with Matheus Braga for the team lead in assists with five |
The second half told a different story, as Penn State began to improve coordination on the attack and pressure Lafayette. That pressure rendered an excellent scoring chance in the 53rd minute. Off a Matheus Braga corner kick, sophomore defender Mark Fetrow (West Chester, Pa.) tried to get a solid foot on the ball but ended up dinking it wide of the goal. Racing to the end line to maintain possession, Braga controlled the ball and centered it to junior midfielder Drew Cost (West Chester, Pa.). From up close, Cost fired a shot on goal but the Lafayette keeper was in position and smothered the attempt.
Dominating possession, Penn State finally broke through in the 66th minute on an unusual scoring play. Positioned on the left wing, Corey Hertzog unpredictably launched a shot from 30 yards out, trying to catch the Lafayette defense off guard. The shot found the head of Jason Yeisley, who was positioned eight yards out on the near post, which then found the back of the net.
Yeisley nearly connected on another header four minutes later when senior forward Vincent Salvatico (Chester Springs, Pa.) crossed a pass from the right wing to the far post. Out-jumping his mark, Yeisley's attempt went just wide of the goal.
In the 75th minute, Yeisley salted the game away for Penn State, heading in a centering pass from Matheus Braga, who has used a brilliant move to skirt the Lafayette defense and get free on the left wing.
Penn State outshot Lafayette for the game, 21-8, including a 9-5 advantage on shots on goal. Yeisley, the Big Ten's leader in shots, tied with Matheus Braga by notching a game-high five.
This weekend, the Nittany Lions continue conference play when they travel to Columbus, Ohio for a 2:00 p.m. match-up with Ohio State (7-2-3, 1-1-0 Big Ten) on Sun, Oct. 18. Penn State is 14-8-2 all-time versus the Buckeyes, with its last win at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium coming in the Lions' Big Ten Championship season of 2005, a 1-0 decision. A year ago, Penn State got two goals from Corey Hertzog and one from Vincent Salvatico (Chester Springs, Pa.) to down then-No. 17 Ohio State, 3-2, at Jeffrey Field.
Senior forward Jason Yeisley has been named a finalist for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, an honor that recognizes excellence in four areas - classroom, community, character, and competition. Fans can vote for Yeisley EVERY DAY by texting M9 to 74567 and by visiting www.seniorclassaward.com. Fan balloting, which counts for 1/3 of the final vote, continues until Nov. 13.