Nov. 1, 2010
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - After a much-needed and well-deserved five-day break from game action, Penn State will face its final non-conference opponent of the 2010 regular season on Tues., Nov. 2 when it travels to Easton, Pa. to take on Lafayette (7-6-3) in a 7 p.m. contest at Mike Bourger '44 Field at Oaks Stadium. The Nittany Lions have compiled a 7-3-0 record outside of the Big Ten and a 3-1-1 road mark this year.
In its last outing, Penn State earned its second consecutive win over a top 25 ranked opponent, downing No. 14 Penn, 2-1, on Wed., Oct. 27 in Philadelphia. The Lions overcame six yellow cards and playing shorthanded for the game's final 3:38 to gain the pivotal non-conference victory.
Senior midfielder Matheus Braga (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) scored his fifth goal of the season in the victory, giving Penn State a 1-0 lead in 64th minute, with junior midfielder Justin Lee (Derwood, Md.) earning his third assist of the year on the play. The game-winner came on an own goal, forced by a brilliant run and perfect cross from junior forward Corey Hertzog (Reading, Pa) and a near-finish by senior forward Treavor Gelsinger (Shady Grove, Pa.).
Residing in sixth place in the Patriot League standings, Lafayette enters Tuesday night's game riding a three-game unbeaten streak. The Leopards gained a key conference win last weekend, beating Bucknell, 2-1, in overtime. On offense, the attack is balanced, with seven players scoring multiple goals, led by sophomore forward Kyle Scharfenberg's four. Sophomore midfielder Sam Peckham tops Lafayette with 10 points (3 goals, 4 assists) and is tied with senior Sam Feldbaum for the team lead in assists. Defensively, the Leopards have allowed multiple goals in only four of 16 games but have recorded just three shutouts. Senior goalkeeper Andrew Pianko has started 14 games, amassing a 1.15 goals against average, a .811 save percentage, and a Patriot League-high 5.21 saves per game.
Penn State has dominated the series with in-state foe Lafayette, compiling a 28-2-1 record. A year ago, on the strength of a pair of goals from Jason Yeisley, the Nittany Lions knocked off the Leopards, 2-0, at Jeffrey Field. Penn State has played Lafayette on the road since 1996, a 2-1 victory.
Fans can follow all of the action of the Penn State-Lafayette match on the Internet with live stats and instant scoring updates from GameTracker or with a live video webcast. Find links on the official website of Nittany Lion athletics, www.GoPSUsports.com.
The Nittany Lions will wrap up their 2010 regular season schedule later in the week when they travel to face Big Ten foe Wisconsin (2-12-2, 0-4-1) at 8 p.m. ET at the McClimon Soccer Complex. Penn State has lost four straight to the Badgers in Madison.
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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