Nov. 19, 2009
2009 NCAA Championship bracket (interactive) | 2009 NCAA Championship bracket (pdf)
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - After a breakout 2009 regular season, Penn State (12-7-2) will get the opportunity to test its mettle on a national stage for the first time in four years when defending national champion Maryland (13-5-2) visits Jeffrey Field on Sun., Nov. 22 for a second round match-up of the 2009 NCAA Men's Soccer Championship. Game time is set for 1 p.m.
Tickets are $7 for adults and $3 youth and senior citizens while admission for Penn State students is free. Advanced tickets can be purchased at the Bryce Jordan Ticket Office through 4:30 p.m. on Fri., Nov. 20 by calling 814-863-1000. Tickets will also be sold at the gate beginning one hour prior to the game.
Penn State was awarded the NCAA Championship's No. 7 seed following a run to the title game at the 2009 Big Ten Tournament, where it dropped a heartbreaking 1-0 decision to Ohio State, surrendering a goal with just 42 seconds remaining in regulation time. The Nittany Lions' NCAA postseason appearance is the first since their Big Ten Championship season of 2005, when they defeated Seton Hall, 1-0, in the second round before falling, 3-1, to Creighton.
The Nittany Lions were dominant at home in 2009, posting a 7-0-2 record, its first undefeated season at Jeffrey Field since 2001 (7-0-0), and outscored their opponents by a 24-4 margin.
For its offensive firepower, Penn State, the Big Ten's top scoring team with 36 goals, looks to the frontline tandem of senior Jason Yeisley (Allentown, Pa.) and sophomore Corey Hertzog (Reading, Pa.) and to star junior midfielder Matheus Braga (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). Yeisley, the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and a First Team All-Big Ten selection, has posted eight goals and five assists while Hertzog, a Second Team All-Big Ten honoree and the 2009 Big Ten Tournament Offensive MVP, has totaled a team-high 11 goals and 28 points. Braga, in his first full season as a starter after an injury plagued 2008 campaign, emerged as one of the Big Ten's most explosive weapons. He scored seven goals and notched a team-high seven assists, the most by a Penn State player since Simon Omekanda has nine in 2005, en route to First Team All-Big Ten honors.
The Penn State defense, anchored by All-Big Ten First Teamer Andres Casais (Caracas, Venezuela), has surrendered 20 goals in 21 games and registered nine shutouts. Consistency and health has been the biggest key, as the starting back line of Casais, Justin Lee (Derwood, Md.), Mark Fetrow (West Chester, Pa.), and Andy Parr (Hummelstown, Pa.) have started 76 of a possible 84 games and rank among the team's top eight in minutes played this season. Sophomore Patrick Krispin (The Woodlands, Texas) and freshman Brian Forgue (Glenmoore, Pa.) have filled in more than capably when needed. Redshirt junior goalkeeper Warren Gross (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) boasts a 0.77 goals against average and has recorded nine shutouts, one shy of tying the Penn State single season record.
Junior Andres Casais, a First Team All-Big Ten selection in 2009, anchors the Penn State defense |
Maryland, ranked No. 7 in the final regular season NSCAA poll, earned an at-large bid to the 2009 NCAA Championship, snapping a nation-best streak of seven-straight seasons with a first round bye. The Terrapins finished fourth in the ACC with a 4-2-2 conference record and fell, 1-0, to Virginia in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament on a rain-soaked field in Cary, N.C. Maryland defeated regional rival Loyola (Md.), 2-1, in first round championship play on Thursday evening to advance to meet Penn State.
Maryland has established itself as one of the nation's powerhouse programs over the past two decades, earning berths to the NCAA Championship in 15 of the last 16 seasons. The Terps have advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in seven consecutive seasons and made it to the College Cup five times since 2002. Overall, Maryland is 40-23-4 in 29 NCAA Championship appearances.
The Terrapin program is helmed by 17-year head coach Sasho Cirovski. During his tenure, Maryland has compiled a 249-107-22 record, two national championships, 14 NCAA and six College Cup appearances, three ACC Tournament titles, and 16-consecutive winning seasons.
The Maryland attack has produced 28 goals in 20 games and is headlined by First Team All-ACC forward Jason Herrick. The redshirt junior tops the team in goals (8), six of which are game winners, and points (17). Sophomore forward Casey Townsend and senior midfielder Drew Yates, who each have notched five goals and one assist, and sophomore midfielder Matt Kassel, the team leader in assists with six, are also key figures in the Maryland offense.
Despite losing four starting defenders from last season's national championship squad, Maryland recorded eight shutouts and allowed just 15 goals in 2009. The remaining constant on the Terrapin defense is standout sophomore goalkeeper Zac MacMath, a 2009 First Team All-ALC selection. Son of former Penn State Nittany Lion Gary MacMath (1970-72), he started 17 of 19 games this season, compiling a .080 goals against average with sixth shutouts. Freshmen Taylor Kemp and Ethan White and seniors Kevin Tangney and Kwame Darko form a formidable back line in front of MacMath.
Penn State possesses a 17-18-5 series record versus Maryland, including a 2-3 mark under Barry Gorman. The teams last met in 2005, when the Nittany Lions knocked off the then No. 6-ranked Terrapins, 1-0, at Jeffrey Field. Penn State has clashed with Maryland just once in NCAA postseason play, a 2-0 loss in 1995.
This year's NCAA postseason appearance will be Penn State's 13th in the Barry Gorman era. The Nittany Lions own a 10-10-2 record over their previous 12 trips to the championship. Penn State is 24-27-1 all-time in NCAA postseason competition dating back to 1970.
Fans can follow all of the action of the Penn State-Maryland match-up on the Internet with live stats and instant scoring updates from Gametracker or with a live video webcast on Penn State All-Access. Find links on the official website of Nittany Lion athletics, www.GoPSUsports.com.
In the other half of Penn State's bracket, No. 10 seed Harvard (13-3-1), champions of the Ivy League, will host Northeast Conference regular season and tournament title winners Monmouth (18-1-2) in a second round contest also scheduled for Sun., Nov. 22 (1:30 p.m.). The Hawks advanced, 4-3, on penalty kicks over Connecticut after a scoreless tie in an opening round match-up on Thursday afternoon.