Nov. 9, 2011
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The Penn State men's soccer team waited all season to earn its first conference win but it would come at no better time, as the seventh-seeded Nittany Lions ousted No. 2 seed Ohio State (10-7-2) from the Big Ten Tournament with a 2-0 opening round victory on Wednesday in Ann Arbor.
Freshman goalkeeper Andrew Wolverton (Snellville, Ga.) made history in the process, claiming his 11th shutout of the year to break the Penn State single season record of 10 previously shared by Angelo Nickas (1980), Whit Gibson (1998), and Conrad Taylor (2005). Wolverton, who leads the Big Ten with a 0.57 goals against average, was credited with five saves.
"I am very proud of the guys," said second-year Penn State head coach Bob Warming, who upped his record to 3-1 in Big Ten Tournament play. "Things haven't gone their way but they kept playing. It's a great life lesson - if you keep working, things will break for you."
"They should also be proud for breaking the shutout record," Warming continued. "Hopefully, we can keep it going."
With the win, Penn State (8-8-4) advances to face No. 3 seed Wisconsin, which downed No. 6 seed Michigan, 2-0, in the first round finale on Wednesday evening. The semifinal game, which is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. start on Friday, will be televised live on the Big Ten Network. The Nittany Lions fell to Wisconsin, 1-0, last weekend on a penalty kick awarded to the Badgers with just 21 seconds remaining in double overtime.
Penn State came out sharp and was dangerous throughout the first half, continually pressuring the Ohio State back line and testing Buckeyes goalkeeper Matt Lampson. Scoring chances came from the outset for the Nittany Lions with senior Mackenzie Arment (Manheim, Pa.) and junior Julian Cardona (Lincoln, Neb.) earning excellent looks just minutes in the game. Cardona initiated another opportunity less than two minutes later but this time he almost got an assist from an Ohio State player, as his crossing pass went off the heel of Buckeye defender David Tiemstra and skipped just wide of goal.
In the ninth minute, Penn State broke through, gaining its first first half lead since October 4. With the ball on the near wing, Cardona took it to the end line before crossing a pass that skipped through the defense and found the foot of senior defender Matt Smallwood (Cochranville, Pa.). After an initial touch, the ball bounced back to Smallwood, who then tapped it in past a prone Lampson.
The Nittany Lions kept the pressure on throughout the remainder of the half and nearly stretched the lead by converting on other scoring chances. One minute after Smallwood netted his first goal of the season, junior midfielder Jacob Barron (La Mirada, Calif.) unleashed a blast from the top of the box that just skipped high of the crossbar.
In the 14th minute, Cardona was at it again, rocketing a crossing pass through the six-yard box again from near the end line to the far post, this time targeting junior midfielder Minh Vu (Tucson, Ariz.). Facing an open goal, Vu couldn't get his foot on it before Lampson was able to scramble to get in position and corral the ball.
Just over two minutes into the second half, Penn State was able to up its lead to 2-0. With the ball on his foot, Mackenzie Arment had a clear run on goal but was taken down deep in the box by Ohio State's Omar Vallejo, earning a penalty kick. Julian Cardona took it, burying it low in the left corner of the goal, just past the diving Lampson.
In the 65th minute, Arment and junior forward Hasani Sinclair (Coral Gables, Fla.) combined to nearly score a picturesque goal. On a run down the near wing unmarked, Arment arced a beautiful crossing pass that cut through the stiff 25 mile per hour wind. Jumping to get his head on it, Sinclair got to the ball at the same time as Lampson and his attempt was tipped away.
Ohio State outshot Penn State, 6-4, in the second half but never really threatened in chip away at the Nittany Lion lead. Penn State had a 16-11 shot advantage for the game.
With the victory, Penn State moves to 5-2 versus Ohio State and 27-14-4 all-time in Big Ten Tournament play, including a sterling 17-3-1 mark in first round contests.