Oct. 23, 2011
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Penn State men's soccer team's rollercoaster 2011 season took another hard luck downturn on Sunday afternoon in Columbus, as the Nittany Lions fell to Ohio State (8-5-2, 3-1-0), 1-0, in overtime. All seven of the Nittany Lions losses this year have come by one goal.
Penn State (7-7-2, 0-5-0) had a 19-11 shot advantage for the game but couldn't put one in the back of the net for the seventh time this season. Five of Ohio State's 11 shots were blocked, never threatening freshman goalkeeper Andrew Wolverton (Snellville, Ga.). The Nittany Lion back line had another strong outing, holding Big Ten goals scored leader Chris Hegngi to one shot for the game; a blocked attempt that didn't come until the 59th minute.
Ohio State's Austin McAnena scored the golden goal in the 96th minute, sneaking the first shot of the overtime period past Wolverton. Parnell Hegngi earned an assist on the game winner.
The first half for Penn State was a microcosm of its 2011 season - missed opportunities and misfortune. The Nittany Lions outshot the Buckeyes, 12-4, including a 5-1 advantage in shots on goal, and had seven corners as compared to zero for OSU. In the eighth minute, senior defender Mark Fetrow (West Chester, Pa.) saw his header attempt off a corner kick by Matt Smallwood (Cochranville, Pa.) glance off the crossbar. Senior midfielder Mackenzie Arment (Manheim, Pa.) had a busy half, shooting a team-high five times, including three that had to be saved by Ohio State goalkeeper Matt Lampson.
Shots evened out in the second half, but Penn State again predominantly controlled pace and possession. Freshman Owen Griffith (Lewisburg, Pa.) led the Lions with three shots, including one on goal in the 58th minute.
Wolverton, who has started every game and logged every minute in goal in his rookie season, made two saves. Penn State, the Big Ten leader in corner kicks, finished the game with an 10-3 advantage on the set pieces.
Penn State remains on the road next week, traveling locally to Lewisburg to face regional rival and defending Patriot League champion Bucknell (7-6-1) on Wednesday, Oct. 26. The non-conference contest is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start at the Bison's Emmitt Field at Holmes Stadium. The Nittany Lions have more wins against Bucknell than any other team in program history (58) but dropped a 2-1 decision to the Bison last year in Happy Valley.