Oct. 16, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's soccer team will make its second Big Ten road trip of the season this weekend, traveling to Evanston, Ill. to meet Northwestern (6-5-1, 1-1-0 Big Ten) on Sunday in a 2 p.m. ET contest at Lakeside Field. With three points, based on their 1-2-0 league record, the Nittany Lions sit in a three-way tie for fourth place in the Big Ten standings.
On Wednesday evening at Jeffrey Field, Penn State (8-4-0) gave the nation's No. 1-ranked team, Akron, all it could handle for 106-plus minutes before falling to the Zips, 2-1, in double overtime on a penalty kick.
Junior forward Corey Hertzog (Reading, Pa.) scored his NCAA-best 12th goal of the season against an Akron defense that had surrendered just two total goals through 10 games. Junior midfielder Mackenzie Arment (Manheim, Pa.) tallied his seventh assist of 2010 on the play. Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Brendan Birmingham (West Chester, Pa.) notched a career-high six saves, including two superb stops late in regulation time to send the game to overtime.
In its last outing, Northwestern had a three-game winning streak snapped on Oct. 13 when it suffered a 2-0 home loss to Northern Illinois. The Wildcats, which claimed their biggest win of the season just three days earlier versus Ohio State, will be looking to boost its NCAA resume versus Penn State after being positioned No. 64 in the initial RPI rankings, released earlier this week.
Junior forward Oliver Kupe leads NU with five goals and 11 points while 2009 Big Ten scoring champion senior forward Matt Eliason shares the team-lead with four assists and is one of three Wildcats with two goals. Reed Losee (2g, 3a), Jack Hillgard (2g), and Piero Bellizzi (4a) have also been steady contributors on the attack. Junior goalkeeper Drew Kotler, who has started 10 of 11 games, fronts a Northwestern defense that has allowed 14 goals this season. He ranked second in the Big Ten with a 0.86 goals against average and third in save percentage (.812).
Penn State owns a dominating 21-3-2 record in the all-time series with Northwestern. A year ago, the Nittany Lions drew, 1-1, with the No. 21-ranked Wildcats at Jeffrey Field. Penn State's last visit to NU, in 2008, resulted in a 2-1 loss to the No. 3 Wildcats, its first ever setback at Lakeside Field. The Lions are 7-1-1 in Evanston since Big Ten play started in 1991, outscoring Northwestern, 22-10.
Fans can follow all of the action of the Penn State-Northwestern 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.
Next week, Penn State returns to Happy Valley for its final home stand of the 2010 regular season, beginning on Wed., Oct. 20 when the Nittany Lions face UMBC (6-3-2) for the first time in program history at 7 p.m. at Jeffrey Field. On Sat., Oct. 23, Penn State will host conference rival No. 16 Ohio State (6-3-2, 2-1-0) in a rematch of the 2009 Big Ten Tournament championship game that will air tape delayed on the Big Ten Network (Sun., Oct. 24, 7 p.m.). Game time is set for 3 p.m.
In addition to the pivotal match-up between the Nittany Lions and the Buckeyes on the pitch, the weekend promises to be special for another significant reason. Penn State soccer alums, friends, and family will gather to honor and commemorate the program's 100-year anniversary. Alumni in attendance will be honored in a ceremony at halftime of the game.
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PENN STATE TO HOST 2010 BIG TEN MEN'S SOCCER TOURNAMENT
From November 11-14, Penn State will host the 2010 Big Ten Tournament at Jeffrey Field. The Nittany Lions have hosted the annual conference postseason event on three occasions, with the last coming in 2002. Call 814-865-5555 (Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-6 p.m.) to order tickets or download a ticket order form