Nov. 8, 2009
2009 Big Ten Championship bracket
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The second-seeded Penn State men's soccer team (10-6-2, 3-2-1) will begin pursuit of the program's fourth conference crown on Thurs., Nov. 12 at 3 p.m. when it faces No. 7 seed Michigan (10-6-1, 2-4-0) in an opening round match-up of the 2009 Big Ten Championship in Bloomington, Ind. All tournament games will be held at the home of host Indiana, Jerry Yeagley Field at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
The Nittany Lions' contest with the Wolverines will be preceded by games featuring No. 3 seed Northwestern (10-3-4, 3-2-1) versus No. 6 seed Michigan State (10-6-2, 2-4-0) (10:00 a.m.) and No. 4 seed Indiana (9-8-1, 3-3-0) versus No. 5 seed Wisconsin (7-8-2, 3) (12:30 p.m).
Should Penn State get past Michigan in the first round, it would advance to face the winner of the Northwestern-Michigan State game in a semifinal contest scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on Fri., Nov. 13. Top-seeded Ohio State (10-4-4, 4-2-0) will take on the winner of the Indiana-Wisconsin at 2 p.m. in the other semifinal. The title game is set for 2 p.m. on Sun., Nov. 15.
The Nittany Lions were victorious in their 2009 regular season match-up with Michigan, downing the Wolverines 2-0 at Jeffrey Field. Penn State got second half goals from sophomore forward Corey Hertzog (Reading, Pa.) and senior forward Jason Yeisley (Allentown, Pa.) to secure the Big Ten season opening win. The Lions are 8-3-1 all-time versus Michigan.
Overall, Penn State owns a Big Ten Championship mark of 22-12-4; one of just two conference teams to own a winning record in the postseason tournament. The Nittany Lions are undefeated versus Wisconsin (4-0) and Michigan (2-0), 5-2 against Northwestern, and have lost just once to Michigan State (5-1-1) and Ohio State (4-1). Their only losing record is against Indiana (2-8-3).
Penn State is 14-3-1 all-time in first round Big Ten Championship games. Its only three opening round losses came in 1995 (Indiana), 2004 (Northwestern), and 2008 (Northwestern). In 2007, the Nittany Lions played Michigan State to a 0-0 tie but lost the penalty kick battle, 4-3.
The Big Ten Network will exclusively broadcast the Big Ten Men's Soccer Championship, providing television coverage of the semifinals and the finals. Kenn Tomasch, Richard Broad, Chris Doran, and Dean Linke will provide play-by-play coverage, color analysis, and sideline reporting.