Nov. 12, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Junior midfielder Justin Lee (Derwood, Md.) played the unlikely hero for Penn State on Friday, scoring his first goal of the season and just the second of his career, to send the fourth-seeded Nittany Lions to a 2-1 upset of No. 1 seed Indiana (9-7-2) in a semifinal match-up of the 2010 Big Ten Men's Soccer Tournament. The victory, which avenged a bitter last-second 3-2 regular season home defeat, was the Nittany Lions' third all-time against the Hoosiers in 14 Big Ten Tournament meetings (3-8-3).
With the win, Penn State (13-6-1) advances to the league championship game for the second consecutive year and for the 11th time in program history where it will face No. 3 seed Michigan (13-4-2) for the 2010 title at 12 p.m. on Sunday at Jeffrey Field. The showdown between the conference's top two scoring teams will be televised live on the Big Ten Network.
Junior forward Corey Hertzog (Reading, Pa.) also scored his Big Ten-best 17th goal of the season in the win, giving him a total of six in his last four Big Ten Tournament games. His conference-leading 39 points are the most by a Nittany Lion since all-time great Jim Stamatis notched 44 in his Hermann Trophy season of 1979. Senior midfielder Matheus Braga (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) added to his program record single season assist total, tallying his 15th on Lee's game winner. Junior midfielder Mackenzie Arment (Manheim, Pa.) also assisted on the play, earning his ninth of the year, good enough for No. 2 in the Big Ten.
Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Brendan Birmingham (West Chester, Pa.), who earned All-Big Freshman Team honors on Thursday, made four important saves, including a brilliant stop late in the game to preserve the win.
With the game knotted at 1-1, Lee stepped into the spotlight, netting the game winner in the 70th minute. Arment initiated the run by getting the ball to Braga along the near boundary. With possession, Braga headed to the corner trailed by a pair of Hoosier defenders. Skirting their pressure, he ran parallel to the end line to the near post in order to gain space and get off a cross. His offering skipped past IU goalkeeper Luis Soffner and through the box, connecting squarely with the left foot of Lee. His hard shot blasted through Soffner's hands and into net.
Early on, Penn State found itself behind for the second straight game, spotting Indiana a 1-0 lead. What started out as a seemingly harmless run by the Hoosiers in the fourth minute quickly became threatening as redshirt sophomore midfielder Joe Tolen found space on the wing and launched a cross into box. Making a head on run towards goal, Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year Will Bruin got his leg on the ball and knocked it past Birmingham for his 16th goal of the season.
The Nittany Lions were unfazed by the deficit and began to work on putting together another rally. Less than seven minutes later, Corey Hertzog pulled PSU even with Indiana by creating his own opportunity. Pressuring the IU back line in his usual aggressive fashion, he took the ball away from defender Tommy Meyer deep in Indiana's zone. With Soffner coming out off his line, Hertzog took a touch to get around him and then took another to line up a shot. Getting the ball on his left foot, he put it into an unprotected net from six yards out.
An excellent chance to take the lead presented itself to Penn State in the first half with 8:33 remaining. An initial Matheus Braga shot from the elbow of the box squarely hit a Indiana defender and bounced to sophomore forward Daniel Burnham (Boise, Idaho), who immediately fed the ball back to Braga. With Soffner out to cut off his run, Braga tried to chip it over the keeper but he hit it too hard and it skied over the net.
After halftime, the attacking pace slowed a bit and scoring chances for both teams became less prevalent. Penn State earned a prime opportunity with under 30 minutes remaining but a header by senior midfielder Drew Cost (West Chester, Pa.), off a long, perfectly laid cross by Matheus Braga, went high and wide of net.
Following Lee's goal, Indiana felt the pressure of pending elimination and began to throw more bodies forward on the offensive end. In the 79th minute, Hoosier freshman midfielder Harrison Petts fired a rocket near post from 10 yards out that Birmingham corralled with a clutch and well-timed diving save. Penn State survived subsequent header shots from Tommy Meyer and Will Bruin, which would both go wide of net, to hold on for the thrilling victory.
Penn State will face Michigan for the Big Ten title on Sunday for the first time since 2002 when the host Nittany Lions downed the Wolverines, 2-1, at Jeffrey Field to capture the program's second conference crown. The Nittany Lions are 3-0 versus Michigan in Big Ten Tournament games and hold a 26-13-4 all-time record in the conference postseason event.