Aug. 19, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 18 Penn State men's soccer team put the finishing touches on an undefeated preseason on Friday evening, shutting out Towson, 1-0, in an exhibition contest at Jeffrey Field.
The win came just three days after the Nittany Lions opened the preseason with a 3-1 home victory over Hartwick.
Senior midfielder Mackenzie Arment (Manheim, Pa.) scored the game winner, getting an assist from junior Marvin Ledgister (London, England), a transfer from North Iowa Area Community College, on the play. Freshman goalkeeper Andrew Wolverton (Snellville, Ga.) earned a shutout in his first collegiate start, recording seven saves.
The Nittany Lions had two excellent scoring early in the first half but fell just short of capitalizing on them. In the seventh minute, Arment received a short pass from junior Hasani Sinclair (Coral Gables, Fla.) in the near corner and immediately sent an on-target cross into the box. Junior Jacob Barron (La Mirada, Calif.) outdueled his mark and got his head on the ball, but his shot skipped into the hands of Towson goalkeeper John Steele.
Just over seven minutes later, senior defender Matt Smallwood (Cochranville, Pa.) set up another header opportunity with a service into the Towson box. Sinclair connected with it but, again, Steele was in position to make the save.
Penn State registered just three shots in the second half but it was one in the 73rd minute that made the difference. Entering the game as a sub, seeing his first game action as a Nittany Lion, Marvin Ledgister soon found himself in the thick of play. Fending off a defender on a 50-50 ball deep in the Towson end, Ledgister came away with control and in open space. After a quick touch towards goal, he crossed a pass wide to Mackenzie Arment. Pushing the ball to his left, Arment unleashed a left-footed blast to the far post from eight yards out that found the back of the net.
Penn State was outshot by Towson, 12-9, but the Lions had a 3-2 advantage on corner kicks.
The Nittany Lions begin regular season action next weekend when they welcome No. 15 Ohio State, Siena, and American to Jeffrey Field for the annual Penn State Classic. On the first day of play, Sat., August 27, Ohio State will take on American (4:30 p.m.) to be followed by Penn State facing Siena (7 p.m.). Day two action, scheduled for Mon., August 29, will pit Ohio State versus Siena (3 p.m.) and Penn State against American (7 p.m.).
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