Nov. 11, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - On the strength of a dominating final 16-plus minutes of play and a record-setting performance by senior midfielder Matheus Braga (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), the fourth-seeded Penn State men's soccer team overwhelmed No. 5 seed Northwestern, 3-1, in first round action of the 2010 Big Ten Tournament on Thursday at Jeffrey Field.
With the win, Penn State (12-6-1) advances to play No. 1 seed and Big Ten regular season champion Indiana (9-6-2), who was idle today after earning a first round bye, at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. The semifinal game will be televised live on the Big Ten Network.
With two assists versus Northwestern and 14 for the year, Matheus Braga inserted himself into the program's history books by breaking the single season assists record, previously shared by former Nittany Lion greats Duncan MacEwan (1980), Chris Kelly (1992), and Ricardo Villar (2001). Junior forward Corey Hertzog (Reading, Pa.) decisively ended a three-game scoring slump, netting two goals and tallying an assist while freshman forward Jordan Tyler (Rochester, Mich.) snapped a streak of his own in the victory, notching his first goal since Sept. 12.
Penn State started the game slowly, getting off a majority of shots but not getting into an offensive rhythm. The Nittany Lions constructed an 8-5 advantage in shots in the first half but only two were on target enough to make it on goal. Two of Penn State's best chances to claim a lead, however, didn't result in saves by Northwestern goalkeeper Drew Kotler.
In the 12th minute, Matheus Braga served a free kick into the box that just missed the head of sophomore defender Brian Forgue (Glenmoore, Pa.), who had outjumped his mark. Instead, the ball harmlessly dropped into the hands of Kotler. Over three minutes, a passing combination put together by Corey Hertzog and junior defender Matt Smallwood (Cochranville, Pa.) provided junior midfielder Justin Lee (Derwood, Md.) with a good look from just inside the 18, but his quick shot towards goal sailed high.
While Penn State failed to convert on its chances in the first half, Northwestern managed to make good on one of its few. In the 45th minute, off of passes from Jason Drews and Piero Bellizzi, freshman Reed Losee banged in a shot to the left of a fully-extended dive of PSU keeper Brendan Birmingham (West Chester, Pa.).
The Nittany Lions picked up their play on both ends of the field in the second half. While allowing Northwestern just two shots on defense, the PSU attack got more dangerous as the game wore on. Finally, Penn State's constant offensive pressure got its intended result in the 74th minute.
Controlling the ball deep in the Northwestern zone on the far right wing, Braga drew a crowd of Wildcat defenders. Slipping a pass through the resistance, he found Matt Smallwood alone in open space. After two quick touches while moving towards goal, Smallwood's cross connected with Corey Hertzog, who put a one-time shot into net from six yards out.
Penn State gained its first lead of the game just over 11 minutes later when Jordan Tyler tallied his first career game winner. Braga again triggered the scoring play, registering his record-breaking 14th assist of the season in spectacular fashion.
Situated near midfield along the boundary, Braga spied Corey Hertzog open up field and sent a grounding, pinpoint pass that tight-roped along the out-of-bounds line for a distance of 20 yards. Once on his foot, Hertzog took the ball, along with a swarm of defenders to the corner, where he managed to get off a perfectly placed cross into the box. Tyler, who was making a straight on run, beat his mark and the keeper, tapping it into net.
Hertzog put the finishing touches on the win, scoring his second goal of the game in the 88th minute. Getting the ball from Tyler off a Northwestern turnover, Hertzog worked to create a shooting lane. Finding one after a series of touches, he fired a bullet from just outside the box that ripped the net high to the far post.
With the victory, Penn State is 6-2 versus Northwestern and owns a 25-13-4 record all-time in Big Ten Tournament play, including a 16-3-1 mark in first round match-ups.