Oct. 29, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - At least a share of the Big Ten lead will be on the line on Saturday when the Penn State men's soccer team (9-5-2, 2-1-1 Big Ten) welcomes Wisconsin (6-7-2, 3-2-0 Big Ten) to Jeffrey Field for a Halloween and Senior Day showdown set for 3 p.m. The pivotal conference contest will be broadcast on a tape delay basis by the Big Ten Network, with the air time scheduled for 4 p.m. on Sun., Nov. 1.
The surprising Badgers have won three consecutive Big Ten games and sit atop the conference standings with nine points. The Nittany Lions reside in a second place tie with Northwestern (9-2-4, 2-1-1 Big Ten) with seven points. Head-to-head, Penn State played Northwestern to a 1-1 draw on Oct. 11 in University Park, despite outshooting the Wildcats by a 28-16 margin.
Prior to the contest with the Badgers, Penn State seniors Diego Correa (Niteroi, Brazil), Frank Costigliola (Dix Hills, N.Y.), Vincent Salvatico (Chester Springs, Pa.), Jacobo Vera (Pamplona, Spain), and Jason Yeisley (Allentown, Pa.) will be honored for their contributions to the program over the course of their careers in a special Senior Day ceremony.
Penn State has been nearly untouchable at home this season, posting a 6-0-2 mark at Jeffrey Field. Wins have not only come but have come in dominating fashion, as the Nittany Lions have outscored their opponent by a 22-3 margin and have recorded five shutouts. The lone blemishes are 1-1 ties with Lehigh on Sept. 23 and Northwestern on Oct. 11.
On Saturday, the Nittany Lions will look to rebound from a 3-0 road loss to undefeated and No. 1-ranked Akron, suffered on Wednesday evening. Penn State staked the Zips an early 2-0 lead, marking the first time this season it had surrendered more than one goal in the first half and equaling the number of goals it had allowed to opponents in the first half in the previous 15 games. While Penn State couldn't find net against the nation's top-rated defense, it did record more shots, 11, than any other Akron opponent this season and forced Zips' goalkeeper Davis Meves, the NCAA leader in goals against average, into a season-high five saves. Sophomore forward Corey Hertzog (Reading, Pa.) had a team-high five shots, including one that hit the post. He and Jason Yeisley led the Lions with two shots on goal.
With two games remaining in the regular season, the Penn State attack has produced 29 goals, the most since 2004 when it posted 37, and has been shut out just twice. Senior forward and team captain Jason Yeisley leads the team in goals with eight and points with 20 and tops the Big Ten in shots and shots per game. Both Corey Hertzog and junior midfielder Matheus Braga (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) are in the midst of breakout seasons. Hertzog ranks second on the team in goals (7) and points (20) and is tied with Braga for the top spot in assists with five. Braga, in his second season as a Nittany Lion, has also contributed five goals. Junior midfielder Drew Cost (West Chester, Pa.) has added a career-high eight points (3 goals, 2 assists).
The Penn State defense, which has surrendered just 16 goals in 16 games, including six in two games, is on the verge of posting its best year since the Big Ten Championship season of 2005 when it allowed 18 goals in 22 games. Consistency and health has been the biggest key, as the starting back line of Justin Lee (Derwood, Md.), Mark Fetrow (West Chester, Pa.), Andres Casais (Caracas, Venezuela), and Andy Parr (Hummelstown, Pa.) have started 61 of a possible 64 games. Redshirt junior goalkeeper Warren Gross (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) is among the Big Ten leaders in shutouts (7) and goals against average (0.77).
Wisconsin, under first year head coach Todd Yeagley, has won four of its last six games but is coming off a streak-snapping, letdown loss to Northern Illinois on Wednesday in Madison. After scoring two goals in each contest during its three-game conference win streak, the Badgers were held without a shot on goal versus the Huskies on their Senior Day.
Offensive production this season for Wisconsin has come from a variety of sources. Senior Taylor Waspi is the team leader in goals (3) and points (7), redshirt sophomore Austin Spohn ranks first in assists (3), and senior Erik Conklin tops the Badgers in game-winning goals (2). Seniors Brad Miller and Scott Lorenz are key figures on the attack as well, ranking second on the team in points with six. Eight different players have scored Wisconsin's 13 goals while 15 Badgers have notched at least one point.
On defense, Wisconsin has allowed 18 goals in 15 games, including 12 in four games, all 3-0 losses. Senior Brian Bultman and junior Aaron Nichols anchor the back line while goalkeeper Alex Horwath has been a mainstay in net. Horwath owns a 1.26 goals against average and a .757 save percentage and has recorded 53 saves and three shutouts.
Penn State owns an 11-9-2 record in the all-time series with Wisconsin, including a 4-3-2 mark at home. The Nittany Lions will be looking to avenge a 4-1 loss suffered a year ago in Madison, their worst setback of the 2008 season. When the Lions last welcomed the Badgers to Jeffrey Field, in 2007, the teams battled to a 3-3 draw. Goals by Jacobo Vera and Treavor Gelsinger (Shady Grove, Pa.) highlighted the PSU effort.
Fans can follow all of the action of the Penn State-Wisconsin match-up on the Internet with live stats and instant scoring updates from Gametracker. 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 regular season play on Fri., Nov. 6 when it visits Bloomington, Ind. and Bill Armstrong Stadium for a 3 p.m. match-up with archrival Indiana (8-7-1, 2-2-0 Big Ten). Penn State has taken four of its last six meetings with IU, including last season's 1-0 upset win over the 17th-ranked Hoosiers at Jeffrey Field. The postseason will kickoff the following weekend when the Lions return to Bloomington to begin pursuit of their fourth conference crown at the 2009 Big Ten Championship. To be hosted by Indiana University, the tournament is scheduled for Nov. 12-15.
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 704567 and by visiting www.seniorclassaward.com. Fan balloting, which counts for 1/3 of the final vote, continues until Nov. 13.