Oct. 6, 2011
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's soccer team will resume Big Ten play on Sunday when it travels to East Lansing, Mich. for a noon showdown with Michigan State (3-6-2, 0-1-1) at the Spartans' DeMartin Soccer Complex. The match, which pits two teams seeking its first conference victory of the season, will be aired live on the Big Ten Network.
Penn State (6-3-2, 0-2-0) busted out of a four-game winless stretch on Tuesday night, downing Penn, 2-0, at Jeffrey Field. Juniors Jacob Barron (La Mirada, Calif.) and Julian Cardona (Lincoln, Neb.) accounted for the Nittany Lion goals with John Gallagher (Pine Bush, N.Y.) registering assists on both scores. Freshman goalkeeper Andrew Wolverton (Snellville, Ga.) made five saves, including four in the first half, to earn his Big Ten-leading eighth shutout of the season.
Solid team defense continues to the hallmark of the 2011 Nittany Lions. Penn State has allowed the fewest goals of any Big Ten team (6) and leads the conference in goals against average (0.52) and shutouts (8). The veteran back line, made up of seniors Mark Fetrow (West Chester, Pa.), Justin Lee (Derwood, Md.), Matt Smallwood (Cochranville, Pa.) and junior Brian Forgue (Glenmoore, Pa.), who have combined to start 210 career games, have played strong defense in front of the freshman Wolverton.
Michigan State is also coming off a Tuesday evening win, as the Spartans knocked off UW-Milwaukee, 2-1, in East Lansing. After a slow start, Michigan State is 2-1-1 over its last four games and has scored at least one goal in every game.
Freshman Adam Montague has emerged as the Spartans top scorer to this point of the season, totaling eight points on three goals and two assists. Mark Barone (1 goal, 4 assists), Rubin Bega (2 goals, 1 assist), and Cyrus Saydee (1 goals, 3 assists) have been consistent offensive contributors.
Junior Kevin Cope, a Second Team All-Big Ten selection in 2010, and redshirt senior goalkeeper Jeremy Clark anchor a MSU defense that has allowed 13 goals in 11 games. Clark owns a 1.11 goals against average and has posted one shutout in his first season as a starter.
Penn State possesses an 18-8-2 series record against Michigan State, including a 7-3-2 mark in East Lansing. In their last road trip to face the Spartans, in 2009, the Nittany Lions pulled out a 1-0 victory, in a game that was also televised on the Big Ten Network. In 2010, Penn State got goals from Corey Hertzog and Matheus Braga to claim a 2-1 come-from-behind win over MSU in Happy Valley. In 12 all-time appearances on the Big Ten Network, Penn State has posted a 6-6 record.
Fans can also follow all of the action of the Penn State-Michigan State match on the Internet with live stats and instant scoring updates from GameTracker. Find a link on the official website of Nittany Lion athletics, www.GoPSUsports.com. The conference clash will also be re-broadcast on the BTN on Monday, Oct. 10 at 12 a.m.
Next week, Penn State's schedule features a non-conference road contest and a Big Ten home match. On Wednesday, Oct. 12, the Nittany Lions will travel to Akron, Ohio to face the No. 3-ranked Zips (7-1-2) in a 7 p.m. game at Lee Jackson Field. Four days later, on Sunday, Oct. 16, Penn State will welcome Northwestern (4-4-3, 0-0-1) to Jeffrey Field for a 2 p.m. clash, which will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.