Nov. 5, 2011
Penn State Notes | 2011 Big Ten Tournament bracket | Big Ten Tournament Central
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The seventh-seeded Penn State men's soccer team will begin pursuit of the program's fourth conference crown on Wednesday at 3:45 p.m. when it battles No. 2 seed Ohio State (10-6-2, 4-2-0) in an opening round match-up of the 2011 Big Ten Tournament. The University of Michigan will serve as hosts of the annual conference event, with all games to be played at U-M Soccer Stadium in Ann Arbor.
The Nittany Lions' match with the Buckeyes will be preceded by a contest featuring No. 4 seed Indiana (11-3-4, 3-1-2) and No. 5 Michigan State (7-7-4, 2-2-2) (1 p.m.) and will be followed by a meeting between No. 3 seed Wisconsin (9-7-2, 4-2-0) and No. 6 seed Michigan (5-13-1, 1-5-0) (6:30 p.m.).
Should Penn State (7-8-4, 0-6-0) get past Ohio State in the first round, it would advance to meet the Wisconsin-Michigan winner in a semifinal contest scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 11. The advancing team from the Indiana-Michigan State match will meet Big Ten regular season champion and No. 1 seed Northwestern (10-4-4, 4-0-2) at 1 p.m. in the other semifinal. The title game is set for 12 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 13.
Penn State's snake bit 2011 regular season took a final cruel turn on Saturday afternoon at Jeffrey Field, as the Nittany Lions fell to Wisconsin, 1-0, in double overtime on Senior Day. With just 21 seconds remaining in the game, the official awarded the Badgers a penalty kick after a Wisconsin player kicked the ball into the hand of a Nittany Lion near the top of the box. Tomislav Zadro took the penalty kick, beating freshman goalkeeper Andrew Wolverton (Snellville, Ga.) to his right.
Penn State had several prime scoring chances during both regulation and in overtime, putting eight shots on goal, but could not capitalize. Mackenzie Arment (Manheim, Pa.), Hasani Sinclair (Coral Gables, Fla.), and Minh Vu (Tucson, Ariz.) each had near misses.
Goals have been at a premium for Penn State this season, as it has scored a total of 15 in 19 games. Juniors Hasani Sinclair and junior Julian Cardona (Lincoln, Neb.) top the Nittany Lions with three goals, while Minh Vu (2 goals, 3 assists) is tied with the duo for the team-lead in points with seven. Sophomore forward Jordan Tyler (Rochester, Mich.) and Mackenzie Arment has also scored multiple goals, with each netting two.
The hallmark of the 2011 Nittany Lions has been team defense. A senior-laden back line, featuring Mark Fetrow (West Chester, Pa.), Justin Lee (Derwood, Md.), and Matt Smallwood (Cochranville), who have combined to start 200 career games, has played strong defense in front of goalkeeper Andrew Wolverton. A starter of all 19 games in his rookie campaign, Wolverton tied the Penn State record for shutouts in a season in 2011, recording 10, while compiling a 0.59 goals against average. Juniors Brian Forgue (Glenmoore, Pa.) and John Gallagher (Pine Bush, N.Y.) have also been key factors, splitting starts at right back.
Ohio State enters Wednesday's contest coming off a 1-0 setback to Indiana in Bloomington in its regular season finale on November 5. The Buckeyes had been riding a three-game winning streak prior to the loss to the Hoosiers, which was bookended by Big Ten wins over Penn State (1-0, OT) and Wisconsin (2-0).
Averaging 1.50 goals per game, the Ohio State offense is headlined by Chris Hegngi. The junior forward leads the Buckeyes and is tied for first in the Big Ten with nine goals, three of which were game winners. Sebastian Rivas (4 goals, 1 assist), Parnell Hegngi (3 goals, 3 assists), Austin McAnena (2 goals, 2 assists), and Omar Vallejo, the team leader in assists with four, have also been productive contributors.
The Ohio State defense, which allows an average of 1.11 goals per game, is anchored by senior David Tiemstra, the 2010 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, and First Team All-Big Ten goalkeeper Matt Lampson. In 18 starts, Lampson has amassed a 1.09 goals against average and recorded five shutouts.
Wednesday's Penn State-Ohio State match will be the 29th all-time meeting between the teams, with the Nittany Lions leading the series 15-11-2. In Penn State's 1-0 regular season overtime loss to Ohio State on October 23 in Columbus, the Nittany Lions had a 19-11 shot advantage, including a 6-4 edge in shots on goal, but couldn't find the back of the net. Austin McAnena netted the game winner for the Buckeyes, scoring 5:57 into the first overtime period.
Overall, Penn State owns a Big Ten Tournament mark of 26-14-4; one of just two conference teams to own a winning record in the postseason competition. The Nittany Lions are undefeated versus Wisconsin (4-0), have lost just once to Michigan (3-1) and Michigan State (6-1-1), are 4-2 versus Ohio State, and own a 6-2 mark against Northwestern. Their only losing record is against Indiana (3-8-3). Penn State last met Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament in the 2009 title game, falling 1-0 on a goal in the final minute of regulation.
Penn State is 16-3-1 all-time in first round Big Ten Tournament games. Its only three opening round losses came in 1995 (Indiana), 2004 (Northwestern), and 2008 (Northwestern). In 2010, the No. 4-seeded Nittany Lions defeated Northwestern, 3-1, in the first round and then went on to knock off Indiana, 2-1, in the semifinals before falling to Michigan, 4-1, in the Big Ten championship game.
The Big Ten Network will exclusively broadcast the Big Ten Men's Soccer Tournament, providing television coverage of the semifinals and the finals. Fans can also follow all of the Penn State soccer action at the 2011 Big Ten Tournament on the Internet with live stats and instant scoring updates from GameTracker.