Sept. 27, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 19 Penn State men's soccer team kept an opponent off the scoreboard at home for the fifth time this season on Tuesday night, drawing with No. 17 Georgetown (5-1-3), 0-0, at Jeffrey Field in a game played at times in a torrential downpour. The Nittany Lions remain undefeated in Happy Valley with the tie, moving to 4-0-1 on the season.
Shots were even for the game, with each team recording 12, but Georgetown had 3-0 advantage in shots on goal. Four different Nittany Lions tallied two shots each.
Freshman goalkeeper Andrew Wolverton (Snellville, Ga.) lowered his goals against average to 0.42 with his seventh shutout of the season. He made three saves, registering one in each of the final three periods.
The opportunity that produced the best potential game winner for Penn State came in the 25th minute when senior defender Matt Smallwood (Cochranville, Pa.) combined with sophomore forward Jordan Tyler (Rochester, Mich.). With the ball in the far corner, Smallwood gained the edge on his defender and centered a pass into the box. The ball sailed just over the jump of junior forward Hasani Sinclair (Coral Gables, Fla.) and toward Tyler, but the service glanced off his head and went just wide of net.
Another prime chance for the Nittany Lions came early in the second half. Sinclair weaved his way through two Georgetown defenders on the near wing to gain space for a centering pass. His service into the box targeted senior midfielder Mackenzie Arment (Manheim, Pa.), who was on a run down the middle of the field. However, Hoyas goalkeeper Tomas Gomez came off his line and slid into Arment's path before he could get a solid foot on the ball.
Junior forward Julian Cardona (Lincoln, Neb.) generated his own scoring opportunity with some heady maneuvers in the 57th minute. Tracking down the ball on the far side of the field near the top of the 18, Cardona took a few touches, moving to his right to acquire shooting space. Finding a window, his low-lining, far post attempt went just inches wide of net.
Wolverton was in position to thwart a legitimate Georgetown scoring threat in the 61st minute and keep the game at 0-0. A long service into the box looked to be floating wide of goal but GU senior midfielder Ben Slingerland managed to catch up to it before it crossed the end line and got a solid head on the ball. Tracking the pass the entire way, Wolverton got his hands up quick and snagged the up-close attempt.
Penn State will open its Big Ten home schedule on Saturday, Oct. 1 when the Nittany Lions welcome Michigan (2-7-1, 0-1-0) 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.
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