Nov. 2, 2011
Game Notes | | Twitter | Facebook
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's soccer team will conclude the 2011 regular season on Saturday when it welcomes Wisconsin (8-7-2, 3-2-0 B1G) to Jeffrey Field for a Senior Day showdown set for 2 p.m. The conference contest will be broadcast on a tape delay basis by the Big Ten Network, with the air time scheduled for 6 p.m. on Sun., Nov. 6.
Following the contest with the Badgers, Penn State seniors Mackenzie Arment (Manheim, Pa.), Marco Ciarla (Potomac, Md.), Mark Fetrow (West Chester, Pa.), Justin Lee (Derwood, Md.), and Matt Smallwood (Cochranville, Pa.) will be honored for their contributions to the Nittany Lion program in a special Senior Day ceremony.
On Tuesday evening, Penn State (7-7-4, 0-5-0 B1G) traveled to Hofstra and came away with a 1-1 draw. The Nittany Lions outshot the Pride, 17-7, and had a 9-2 advantage in shots on goal but gave up a late score off a redirect on a free kick. Mackenzie Arment accounted for Penn State's score, netting his second goal of the season, with junior midfielder Marvin Ledgister (London, England) earning an assist on the play.
Freshman goalkeeper Andrew Wolverton (Snellville, Ga.), who tied the Penn State record for shutouts in a season last week versus Bucknell with his 10th, will look to break the program mark on Saturday versus Wisconsin. Wolverton, who has started all 18 games and logged every minute in goal this season, leads the Big Ten in goals against average (0.58) and save percentage (.825).
After a fast start to the 2011 season, which saw it perched alone atop the Big Ten standings with 3-0 record, Wisconsin has lost three of its last four games, including two straight conference matches. The Badgers have posted a 3-2 record in road games in 2011, including a 1-1 mark versus Big Ten foes.
Junior midfielder Tomislav Zadro, who leads the Badgers in points with 17 and ranks first in the Big Ten in assists with seven, keys a Wisconsin offense that averages 1.29 goals per game. Chris Prince (4 goals, 1 assist), Josh Thiermann (3 goals, 3 assists), and Joey Tennyson (3 goals, 3 assists) have also been factors on the attack in 2011. Sophomore Max Jentsch has started 12 games in goal for Wisconsin, compiling a 0.96 goals against average with three shutouts. The Badgers defense, which has recorded a total of five shutouts this season, allows an average of 1.24 goals per game.
Penn State owns a 12-10-2 record in its all-time series with Wisconsin, including a 6-3-2 mark in University Park. A year ago, the Nittany Lions fell to the Badgers, 1-0, in Madison, the only shutout dealt to PSU during the 2010 regular season.
Fans can also follow all of the action of the Penn State-Wisconsin 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.
Next week, Penn State will begin pursuit of a fourth conference crown when it competes at the Big Ten Tournament. The battle for the 2011 title is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, Nov. 9 with three first round matches. Semifinal games will take place on Friday, Nov. 11 with the championship contest set for Sunday, Nov. 13. Hosted by the University of Michigan, all games will be played at the U-M Soccer Stadium in Ann Arbor. The semifinals and finals will air live on the BTN. Penn State, which possesses a 26-14-4 record in Big Ten Tournament play, is one of just two conference teams to have a winning mark in the postseason event.