Oct. 19, 2011
BALTIMORE - The Penn State men's soccer team resoundingly halted a three-game skid, dominating the run of play and employing lockdown defense in a 1-0 victory over America East frontrunners UMBC (7-4-3) on Wednesday night at Retriever Soccer Park in Baltimore. The win was the Nittany Lions' first on the road this season.
Penn State (7-6-2) outshot the Retrievers, 16-3, and had an 8-0 advantage in shots on goal. The Penn State back line rendered the UMBC attack punchless, as all three Retriever shots were blocked before even nearing goal. Aggressive on offense throughout the game, PSU earned 11 corner kicks to just two for UMBC.
Junior forward Hasani Sinclair (Coral Gables, Fla.) netted the game winner, his third goal of the season, pulling him even with Julian Cardona (Lincoln, Neb.) for the team lead. Junior midfielder Jacob Barron (La Mirada, Calif.) tallied his first assist as a Nittany Lion on the scoring play. Freshman goalkeeper Andrew Wolverton (Snellville, Ga.) recorded his ninth shutout of the season, dipping his Big Ten-best goals against average to 0.58.
Penn State put together a dominant first half performance, controlling pace and possession throughout. The Nittany Lions outshot UMBC, 9-2, with three making it on goal. Senior midfielder Mackenzie Arment (Manheim, Pa.) tested Retrievers goalkeeper Dan Louisignau twice but was turned back.
The second half told a similar story, as Penn State came out pressuring from the outset and did not relent. In the 55th minute, Cardona had a one-on-one scoring opportunity nullified by a sliding save from Louisignau. Less than five minutes later, Arment sent in a blast from the top of the box that was also saved.
The Lions were finally able to break through in the 71st minute. Off a John Gallagher (Pine Bush, N.Y.) corner kick, Barron played a ball into Sinclair, who headed it in from four yards out for his second game winner of the season.
UMBC's lone shot of the second half came in the 83rd minute, an attempt from two-time All-America East midfielder Andrew Bulls that rendered harmless by a deflection from a Penn State defender.
Penn State continues its travels this weekend, visiting Columbus for a 2 p.m. Big Ten clash with Ohio State (7-5-2, 2-1-0) on Sunday at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. The Buckeyes have the week off after posting a scoreless draw with Valparaiso on October 16. The Nittany Lions won last season's meeting in overtime, 2-1, to up its all-time record versus Ohio State to 15-10-2.