Oct. 20, 2009
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.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's soccer team (8-4-2) will venture out of conference when it travels one hour east to Lewisburg, Pa. on Wednesday to take on Bucknell (11-3-0) in a 7 p.m. match-up at the Bison's Emmitt Field at Holmes Stadium. The contest is the second leg of a three-game road swing for the Nittany Lions.
Penn State had a six-game unbeaten streak brought to end on Sunday when it dropped a 2-1 decision to Ohio State in Columbus. The Nittany Lions dug themselves a hole they couldn't fully get out of, including surrendering just their second first half score of the season. A goal in the 59th minute by senior midfielder Frank Costigliola (Dix Hills, N.Y.), his second of the season, cut the Buckeye lead in half but an equalizer was not forthcoming and Penn State suffered its first conference loss of the season.
Despite the setback, Penn State remains alone atop the Big Ten standings with seven points by virtue of Michigan State's 1-0 upset overtime victory over No. 23 Indiana on Sunday. The Hoosiers, Ohio State, and Wisconsin are in a three-way tie for second place with six points.
Bucknell extended its winning streak to six games on Oct. 17 when it downed Patriot League rival Army, 3-0, in West Point. The Bison attack is headed by senior midfielder Conor O'Brien. The 2008 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, he leads Bucknell in goals (10), assists (tie, 4), points (24), shots (64), and shots on goal (29). With six goals and two assists, freshman forward Brendan Burgdorf also helps to key the BU offense. The Bucknell defense, which, like Penn State, has allowed 12 goals in 14 games, is fronted by back liners Patrick Selwood and Ross Liberati and goalkeeper Tommy Caso. The sophomore netminder has recorded six shutouts this season and owns a 0.88 goals against average.
The rivalry with Bucknell is one of Penn State's longest running, dating back to 1930, and its most successful, totaling 57 wins against just seven losses and three ties. The Lions had their 25-game winning streak against the Bison snapped last year when BU earned a 2-0 victory in the finale of the Penn State Classic.
Penn State and Bucknell share just one common opponent thus far this season, Saint Francis (Pa.). The Nittany Lions opened the 2009 season with a 5-0 rout of the Red Flash in University Park while the Bison edged SFU, 1-0, at home on Sept. 23. Fans can follow all of the action of the Penn State-Bucknell contest on the Internet with live stats and instant scoring updates from Gametracker or with a live audio and video webcast. 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 conclude their longest road stretch of the season on Wed., Oct. 28 when it treks west to Ohio for a showdown with undefeated and No. 1-ranked Akron (13-0-0). Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. at what will likely be a sold out Lee Jackson Field. The Zips, which have outscored their opponents, 36-2, and have not allowed a goal at home this season, own wins over Big Ten teams Indiana (1-0) and Ohio State (3-0). A year ago, Penn State used the first career goal by defender Mark Fetrow (West Chester, Pa.) to earn a 1-1 draw with then-No. 2 Akron at Jeffrey Field.