Oct. 1, 2010
Penn State-Michigan Game Notes
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 24 Penn State men's soccer team (6-2-0, 0-1-0 Big Ten) will make its first Big Ten road trip of the 2010 season this weekend when it travels to Ann Arbor for a 1 p.m. Sunday showdown with Michigan (4-2-3, 0-1-0 Big Ten) at the U-M Soccer Stadium. The Big Ten Network will air the key conference clash on a tape-delayed basis on Sunday evening at 7 p.m.
In Penn State's first mid-week game of the season, the Lions outgunned Saint Francis, 4-3, in a wild and wide-open non-conference affair at Jeffrey Field on Wednesday night. Penn State outshot the Red Flash by an unheard of 38-8 margin and had a dominating 24-4 advantage in shots on goal but needed a late two-goal rally to dispatch the regional foe.
Junior forward Corey Hertzog (Reading, Pa.), junior defenders Matt Smallwood (Cochranville, Pa.) and Mark Fetrow (West Chester, Pa.), and junior Mackenzie Arment (Manheim, Pa.) scored goals while senior midfielder Matheus Braga (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) regained sole possession of the NCAA assists lead by recording his ninth and 10th of the year. Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Brendan Birmingham (West Chester, Pa.) earned the win in his first collegiate start.
The Penn State-Michigan game promises to be a shootout, as it will not only pit two of the Big Ten's most high-powered offenses against each other, it will feature a head-to-head match-up of two of the nation's top offensive players.
The Nittany Lions lead the Big Ten in nearly every category, ranking first in points (75), goals (23), goals per game (2.88), assists (29), and assists per game (3.62). The Wolverines have proven they aren't afraid to pull the trigger, as they top the Big Ten in shots (229) and shots per game (25.44) by a wide margin.
Despite not being recognized on a single preseason All-America team, Penn State's Corey Hertzog has quickly established himself as one of the nation's best players in 2010. Heading into the weekend's action, he ranks No. 1 in the NCAA in goals (9) and points (22). Michigan freshman Soony Saad, who was the National High School Player of the Year last season, has successfully made a rapid adjustment to the college game, netting seven goals, including a hat trick versus Kentucky last week, through nine games. He is also the Big Ten leader in shots per game, averaging 7.56.
Michigan enters Sunday's game coming off a 1-0 loss to Big Ten rival Ohio State but will haven't had played for more than a week when it takes to the pitch versus Penn State. In addition to Soony Saad, 11-year Wolverine head coach Steve Burns has gotten goal production from only three other sources, Hamoody Saad (2 goals), Soony's older brother, Justin Meram (2 goals), and Alex Wood (1 goal). Meram, a Second Team All-Big Ten selection a year ago, also leads the team in assists with four. The Michigan defense is headlined by redshirt junior goalkeeper Chris Blais and by backs sophomore Kofi Opare, a 2009 Big Ten All-Freshman Team honoree, and seniors Chase Tennant and Jeff Quijano. Blais possesses a 0.92 goals against average while the defense has worked together to secure two shutouts.
Penn State owns a 9-3-1 record in its all-time series with Michigan. A year ago, the Nittany Lions downed the Wolverines twice, 2-0 at Jeffrey Field during the regular season and 1-0 in a first round game of the Big Ten Tournament. In matches played in Ann Arbor, Penn State is 2-2-1 but hasn't won there since 2002.
Fans can follow all of the action of the Penn State-Michigan match on the Internet with live stats and instant scoring updates from GameTracker. Find a link on the official website of Nittany Lion athletics, www.GoPSUsports.com.
Following its match-up with the Wolverines, Penn State will return home to begin a three-game home stand, starting on Wed., Oct. 6 when Villanova (5-3-1, 1-0-0 BIG EAST) comes to Happy Valley for a 7 p.m. non-conference contest at Jeffrey Field. The Nittany Lions hold a 7-1-1 all-time record versus the Wildcats, including a 1-0 Halloween victory in 2007 in the teams' last meeting. Marquee showdowns with No. 11 Michigan State (Sun., Oct. 10) and No. 1 Akron (Wed., Oct. 13) will finish out the home stretch.