Sept. 16, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 15 Penn State men's soccer team will make its first true road trip of the season this weekend, visiting Hartford (1-5-0) for a 2 p.m. non-conference contest on Sunday at the Hawks' Alumni Stadium.
The Nittany Lions won their third straight game and remained unbeaten and unscored upon at home on Wednesday night, defeating regional foe Saint Francis (Pa.), 1-0, at Jeffrey Field. A stellar team defensive effort was the key to victory, as Penn State (5-1-0) held the Red Flash to just three total shots. Freshman goalkeeper Andrew Wolverton (Snellville, Ga.) earned his fifth shutout of the season while lowering his goals against average to 0.50.
Junior defender Brian Forgue (Glenmoore, Pa.) scored the game winner in the 19th minute, his first goal of the season, with juniors Julian Cardona (Lincoln, Neb.) and Hasani Sinclair (Coral Gables, Fla.) earning their first assists of the season on the play.
Hartford, under first year head coach Tom Poitras, enters Sunday's contest mired in a five-game losing streak. After winning their season opener versus Siena (1-0), the Hawks have dropped consecutive one-goal decisions to Fordham (1-0), Central Connecticut State (1-0), UNC Wilmington (2-1), Campbell (3-2), and Quinnipiac (4-3).
Freshman forward/midfielder Rohan Roye is Hartford's leading goal scorer, netting three goals despite only playing in three games. With one goal each, four other Hawks have accounted for the reminder of the team's scores. Senior forward Patrick Boucher tops Hartford with two assists. Senior Luke Citriniti has started all six games and played every minute in goal, totaling 16 saves while compiling a 1.83 goals against average.
Penn State possesses a 1-0-1 all-time series record versus Hartford. The Nittany Lions won the teams' last meeting, a 1-0 double overtime decision at the 2009 Penn State Classic. The only other game between the Lions and the Hawks took place in 1998, a 2-2 draw at the Army Invitational in West Point, N.Y.
Fans can follow all of the action of the Penn State-Hartford match on the Internet with live stats and instant scoring updates or with a live video webcast (fee of $4.95). Find links on the official website of Nittany Lion athletics, www.GoPSUsports.com
Penn State will open Big Ten play on Friday, Sept. 23, traveling to Bloomington for a key conference match with No. 9 Indiana (4-0-1). Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. The Nittany Lions have taken five of the last nine meetings between the teams but haven't won at Bill Armstrong Stadium since 2005. A year ago, Penn State faced the Hoosiers twice in Happy Valley, falling 3-2 in the regular season before avenging that loss with a 2-1 win in the Big Ten Tournament. The Lions are 11-27-3 all-time versus Indiana.
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