Oct. 26, 2011
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Penn State men's soccer team battled Bucknell (7-7-2) to a 0-0 scoreless tie, its third of the season, on Wednesday night in Lewisburg. With the result, freshman goalkeeper Andrew Wolverton (Snellville, Ga.) tied the Penn State single season record for shutouts with his 10th of 2011.
Wolverton, the Big Ten leader in goals against average, recorded five key saves en route to pulling even in the PSU record book with former goalkeeping greats Angelo Nickas (1980), Whit Gibson (1998), and Conrad Taylor (2005).
Penn State (7-7-3) survived the first half, keeping it scoreless primarily due to the standout play of Wolverton, particularly late in the period. After a PSU turnover in the midfield, Bucknell junior defender Colin Costello pushed forward and unleashed a blast from 20 yards out that only a diving stab from Wolverton kept out of goal. Just minutes later, in a scramble for the ball at the top of the box, junior midfielder CK Kumah bicycle kicked a looping shot that Wolverton alertly snagged out of the air.
Penn State's offensive struggles continued in the first half, as it registered just three shots, all of which were blocked.
In the second half, the Nittany Lions weathered another Bucknell offensive storm early on to keep the Bison off the scoreboard. Wolverton saved a left footed rip from Josh Plump just minutes into the period. Then, senior defender Matt Smallwood (Cochranville, Pa.) kicked a sure goal off the line, interrupting an up-close offering from the foot of BU's Luke Joyner.
As the half wore on, Penn State became more dangerous on the attack. In the 74th minute, junior forward Hasani Sinclair (Coral Gables, Fla.) received the ball on the near wing and pushed to the middle of the field, cutting across the face of Bucknell goalkeeper Marc Hartman. From 20 yards out, Sinclair got clear of the back line to fire off a shot but Hartman was in position to make the save.
A few minutes later, junior midfielder Mackenzie Arment (Manheim, Pa.) nearly put Penn State up with a great individual effort. With the ball with his back to the goal, Arment skirted by three Bucknell defenders to gain space and sent a left-footed rocket from 18 yards out but his shot was corralled by the Bison keeper.
With time dwindling down in regulation, Penn State looked to have earned the game winner. Sophomore forward Jordan Tyler (Rochester, Mich.) got off a shot from the far wing that was saved but not controlled by Hartman. Making a run on net, Sinclair tapped it in but he was called offsides.
Penn State outshot Bucknell 4-1 in the overtime periods. In the first overtime, Tyler and Arment had scoring opportunities but could not convert.
For the game, Bucknell had a 14-12 advantage in shots but Penn State lead in corner kicks, 7-5.
After getting the weekend off, Penn State will finish out a nearly two-week long, four-game road stretch when it visits Hempstead, N.Y. for a 7 p.m. match with Hofstra (6-8-0) on Tuesday, Nov. 1. The Nittany Lions have faced the Pride only once in program history, a 5-1 home win at the 2009 Penn State Classic. Hofstra has lost four of its last five games with CAA match-ups with George Mason and William & Mary on the schedule before hosting Penn State.