Sept. 25, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 19 Penn State men's soccer team begins a three-game home stand on Tuesday when it hosts No. 17 Georgetown (5-1-2) in a 7 p.m. non-conference clash at Jeffrey Field. The Nittany Lions are undefeated in Happy Valley this season, posting a 4-0 record while outscoring opponents 7-0.
Fans attending Tuesday night's Penn State-Georgetown match who wear their favorite soccer jersey will receive a drawstring backpack, while supplies last.
In its last outing, Penn State (5-2-1) dropped its Big Ten opener, falling to No. 7 Indiana in a tightly-contested match, 1-0. The Lions had chances early in the first half to claim the lead but successive shots by junior forward Hasani Sinclair (Coral Gables, Fla.) and sophomore forward Jordan Tyler (Rochester, Mich.) were cleared off the line by Hoosier defenders. Indiana broke through in the 77th minute to net the game winner, ending Penn State's defensive scoreless streak at 465-plus minutes.
Georgetown extended its unbeaten stretch to seven games on Saturday, defeating Villanova, 2-0, in its BIG EAST opener. After beginning the season with an overtime 1-0 home loss to Virginia Commonwealth, the Hoyas have gone 5-0-2, including claiming two double overtime victories and winning their last two games by shutout.
All 13 of Georgetown's goals have come from four players, led by sophomore midfielder Steve Neumann (5 goals). Ian Christianson (3 goals), Tyler Rudy (3 goals), and Andy Riemer (2 goals) are also key to the Hoya attack. Freshman Tom Skelly and junior Jimmy Nealis top the team in assists with two each. Freshman goalkeeper Tomas Gomez headlines the GU defense. In seven starts, he has compiled a 0.53 goals against average and four shutouts.
Penn State has faced Georgetown just once in program history, a 3-2 win in 2004 in an early season tournament hosted by Maryland. The Nittany Lions are 99-37-16 all-time versus BIG EAST opponents.
Fans can follow all of the action of the Penn State-Georgetown match on the Internet with live stats and instant scoring updates from GameTracker or with a live video webcast on Penn State All-Access/Big Ten Digital Network. Find links on the official website of Nittany Lion athletics, www.GoPSUsports.com.
Penn State will open its Big Ten home schedule on Saturday, Oct. 1 when the Nittany Lions welcome Michigan (2-6-1) to Jeffrey Field for a 7 p.m. contest. After suffering two losses to the Wolverines in 2010, Penn State's all-time record versus Michigan stands at 9-5-1.