Aug. 29, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Junior midfielder Minh Vu (Tucson, Ariz.) has been named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, the conference office announced on Monday. The junior college transfer was recognized with the award for scoring the game winning goal in his official Nittany Lion debut, lifting Penn State to a 1-0 season opening victory over Siena on Saturday.
Vu shares the first conference honor of the 2011 season with Wisconsin's Kyle McCrudden.
Vu started and finished the game winning play. After he won a ball near midfield, junior Hasani Sinclair (Coral Gables, Fla.) took control of it and weaved his way through the Siena defense, heading to the near corner. Spotting sophomore Jordan Tyler (Rochester, Mich.) on a run down the center of the field, Sinclair sent in a perfectly placed cross. The Siena goalkeeper aggressively came off his line and blocked Tyler's attempt before he could get a solid foot on it. The uncontrolled ball bounced out of the box and came to Vu, who blasted a shot on a dead sprint from 20 yards out that found the back of the net.
Vu, a transfer from Pima Community College in his hometown of Tucson, Ariz., was a standout for the Aztecs for two years. As a freshman, he earned Second Team All-America honors, finishing second in the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC) in goals and points (42), as Pima posted a 15-6-1 record. In 2010, Vu led NJCAA Region I in scoring with 44 points, receiving NJCAA First Team All-American, Region I Player of the Year, First Team All-ACCAC, and First Team All-Region I recognition.
The No. 18 Nittany Lions continue play at the 2011 Penn State Classic on Monday night when they host American at Jeffrey Field at 7 p.m.