Jan. 26, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's soccer team proved to be a popular draw in 2010, as first-year head coach Bob Warming's Nittany Lions ranked among the nation's leaders in home attendance.
Spurred by the squad's on-the-field success, its efforts to attract new fans through appearances around campus, and the advent of a student cheering section, Jeffrey Field became the place to be last fall in Happy Valley. Penn State finished the season ranked No. 13 in the NCAA in average attendance, attracting 1,842 fans per game; an increase of 262 percent from 2010 and the most this decade by nearly 700 fans per contest. Drawing a total of 23,951 fans for their 13 games at Jeffrey Field, the Lions earned the nation's No. 9 ranking. Division I men's soccer is sponsored by 204 universities nationwide.
The Nittany Lions gave their faithful followers plenty to cheer about in 2010. Penn State won 14 games, the program's most since 2002, advanced to the Big Ten Tournament championship game for the second straight year, earned a second consecutive NCAA Championship berth for the first time since the 2004 and 2005 seasons, and won its first NCAA Championship game since 2005, defeating Old Dominion, 4-1, in the second round at Jeffrey Field.
Furthering its appeal, Penn State fielded one of the most prolific offenses in the nation in 2010. The Nittany Lions finished the season ranked No. 8 in the NCAA in goals scored, recording 45, the most by a PSU team since 1995 (59), and their 54 assists led the Big Ten. Penn State was nearly unstoppable on the attack, as it was shutout just twice, the fewest by a Nittany Lion team since 1995. Junior forward Corey Hertzog (Reading, Pa.) and senior midfielder Matheus Braga (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) formed a historically productive partnership, combining to total 73 points, the most by a PSU tandem since Stuart Reid (37) and Travis Berger (35) together had 72 in 1995. Hertzog led the NCAA in goals (20) and points (46) while Braga ranked No. 1 in the nation in assists (17).
Penn State provided its fans with many memorable moments during its 2010 home schedule, including a litany of outstanding individual performances and thrilling finishes. Corey Hertzog gave Penn State its first home win of the season, dispatching Binghamton by scoring the game-winning goal from 45 yards out. He would bookend Penn State's home slate by scoring a hat trick in the NCAA second round win over Old Dominion. The Nittany Lions broke the Big Ten record for shots in a game by totaling 38 in a 4-3 shootout win over Saint Francis. They pushed eventual national champion and No. 1-ranked Akron to the brink before falling in overtime on a penalty kick. In his final regular season appearance at Jeffrey Field, Treavor Gelsinger (Shady Grove, Pa.) highlighted Senior Day and Penn State's 100-year anniversary celebration by netting a golden goal in the first overtime to give the Lions a key Big Ten win over Ohio State. Penn State avenged a controversial and contentious regular season loss to archrival Indiana by downing the Hoosiers, 2-1, in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament.