Sept. 16, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 23 Penn State men's soccer team will make its longest road trip of the season this weekend, traveling to the state of Colorado for games with a pair of Mountain Pacific Sports Federation teams. The Nittany Lions will first face Air Force (1-3-0) on Fri., Sept. 17 at 9 p.m. ET at the Cadet Soccer Stadium on the academy grounds in Colorado Springs. Penn State (3-1-0) will wrap up its Rocky Mountain region visit on Sun., Sept. 19 at 3 p.m. ET when it takes on Denver (2-1-1) at CIBER Field in the heart of the Mile High City.
The Nittany Lions are coming off a 1-1 showing at last weekend's Penn State Classic, falling to Bucknell, 2-1, on Friday before downing Binghamton, 4-3, on Sunday. Freshman forward Jordan Tyler (Rochester, Mich.) scored his first career goal versus Bucknell and followed it up by netting two more versus Binghamton. Junior forward Corey Hertzog (Reading, Pa.) also starred for PSU, totaling six points against Binghamton, scoring two goals and tallying two assists. For its standout performance, the front line duo was named to the Penn State Classic All-Tournament Team.
Through the season's first two weeks, the Penn State offense has emerged as one of the most dangerous not only in the Big Ten but also in the nation. With 12 points, gained on five goals and two assists, Corey Hertzog tops the Big Ten points, points per game, goals, goals per game, and game winning goals and is ranked No. 2 in the nation in points and points per game. Senior midfielder Matheus Braga (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) leads the conference and the nation in assists with six. As a team, Penn State in ranked No. 1 in the Big Ten in points (38), assists (16), and assists per game (4.0). In total, nine Nittany Lions have notched at least one point.
Air Force went winless last weekend at the Courtyard Marriott San Diego Central Tournament in San Diego, Calif., falling 1-0 to host San Diego State and 5-0 to No. 10 UC Irvine. While the Falcons have been held scoreless in their three losses, their lone victory, a 2-1 decision, came against Cal Poly, a team that defeated nationally ranked Indiana on Sept. 10. Despite scoring just two goals through its first four games, Air Force is tied for the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) lead in shots with 71. Sophomore forwards Zane Dydasco and Conor Henry have scored one goal each while sophomore midfielder Kevin Durr has earned the Falcons' only assist. Goalkeeper Matt Underwood, who owns a 1.71 goals against average, ranks second in the MPSF in saves with 20 and fourth with a .714 save percentage.
Penn State has met Air Force on the pitch just once, drawing 0-0 with the Falcons on Sept. 4, 1989 at the Air Force Invitational.
Denver posted a 1-0-1 record at last weekend's TLC Plumbing, Heating & Cooling Invitational in Albuquerque, N.M., drawing with No. 15 Portland, 3-3, prior to defeating Georgetown, 3-1. With two goals each, midfielders Jarod Stigall, the reigning MPSF Player of the Week, and Josh Wren pace a balanced DU attack that features seven different Pioneers accounting for the team's nine goals. Sophomore forward Alex Tarnoczi has a team-high three assists, half of Denver's total for the season. Senior Teale Stone has started all four games in goal, collecting 10 saves while accruing a 1.61 goals against average.
Penn State has never played Denver in its 100-year history, joining Binghamton and UMBC as new opponents the Nittany Lions will face in 2010.
Fans can follow all of the action as Penn State takes on Air Force and Denver on the Internet with live stats and instant scoring updates. 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 return home next week to kick off a two game home stand, beginning on Fri., Sept. 24 when they open Big Ten play by hosting archrival Indiana (2-2-0) at 7:30 p.m. Penn State has taken four of the last seven meetings between the teams, including the last two at Jeffrey Field. The Lions will then welcome regional opponent Saint Francis (Pa.) (2-2-0) to Happy Valley on Wed., Sept. 29 for a 7 p.m. contest. In the teams' last match-up, Penn State routed the Red Flash, 5-0, to open the 2009 season.