Sept. 13, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -The Penn State men's soccer team welcomes Albany and Adelphi to Jeffrey Field this weekend for a pair of contests. The Nittany Lions (3-1-1) face the Great Danes (2-3-0) at 7 p.m. Friday before hosting the Panthers (1-4-0) at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, following the conclusion of the Penn State women's soccer match against Wisconsin.
ON THE HORIZON
Following the matches with Albany and Adelphi, the team hits the road to face Wisconsin Sept. 21 and Lehigh Sept. 25. The Lions return home briefly for a Sept. 29 matchup against Indiana before traveling to Ann Arbor, Mich., for an Oct. 6 showdown with Michigan.
FOLLOW ALONG!
The men's soccer program has its own Twitter account for the first season this year! Be sure to follow @PennStateMSOC, along with all of the Penn State athletics accounts, to get the most up-to-date and behind the scenes information. Join the Nittany Lions fans on Facebook as well, at Facebook.com/PennStateMensSoccer.
DOUBLE THE FUN
Sunday afternoon features a doubleheader from Penn State soccer. The women's team (5-2-0), under the direction of head coach Erica Walsh, takes on Wisconsin at 1 p.m. in the team's first Big Ten contest of the season. The women's squad is seeking its 15th-consecutive Big Ten regular-season title. Additionally, the game will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.
The Nittany Lion men will kick off against Adelphi after the conclusion of the women's game.
SCOUTING THE GREAT DANES
Albany enters the contest with a pair of wins after edging Towson in overtime, 3-2, at home before following up two days later with a 2-0 victory over Yale. The Danes are led in scoring by freshman midfielder Anthony Rozzano and second-year forward Brandon Wilson, who have both netted a pair of goals this season. Junior Christoffer Nisser paces the team with two assists, but four others have added one in 2012. Sophomore goalkeeper Tim Allen has seen all but five minutes between the pipes for Albany this year, recording a 1.60 GAA with 35 saves and a shutout.
The Danes are led by Trevor Gorman, former Nittany Lion and son of Penn State men's soccer's all-time winningest head coach Barry Gorman. A midfielder on the squad, the younger Gorman helped the Lions capture the 2002 Big Ten championship. He enters his second year at the helm of the Great Danes after guiding the team to its first postseason appearance since 2008.
A LOOK AT THE PANTHERS
Adelphi, under the direction of fifth-year head coach Carlo Acquista, enters the weekend 1-4 in 2012. The Panthers dropped close, 1-0 losses to Iona and Fordham to open the season. Adelphi picked up its first win of the season against UMass, 1-0, in double overtime Sept. 8. Omar Edwards and James Diana have posted each of the team's four goals this season, while Steve Rivera has posted a pair of assists. Goalkeeper Ahmad Salamah has played all 467 minutes this year, compiling 29 saves with a 1.73 GAA.
A HISTORY OF THE SERIES
Penn State leads the all-time series against Adelphi, 1-0. The teams' only meeting came in 1992 as the Nittany Lions pulled out a 2-1 win over the Panthers in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.
The meeting Friday will mark the first on the soccer pitch between the Nittany Lions and the Great Danes.
GRIFFITH TABBED B1G DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF WEEK
Owen Griffith, a sophomore defender, was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, the conference office announced Monday. Griffith (Lewisburg, Pa.) helped the Nittany Lions shut out West Virginia in a scoreless draw Sept. 6.
Griffith logged 110 minutes on the field against the Mountaineers, including both overtime periods. The sophomore recorded a trio of shots on the offensive side but excelled on defense, guiding the Penn State back line to its third shutout of the season.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
Penn State shares the conference lead with Indiana with only four goals allowed this season, including three shutouts. The Lions also share the lead with Northwestern in assists with eight. Senior forward Julian Cardona ranks second in the conference with eight points thanks to his four goals through the first two games of the season.
FOLLOW ALONG!
The men's soccer program has its own Twitter account for the first season this year! Be sure to follow @PennStateMSOC, along with all of the Penn State athletics accounts, to get the most up-to-date and behind the scenes information. Join the Nittany Lions fans on Facebook as well, at Facebook.com/PennStateMensSoccer.
TUBE-ULAR COVERAGE
The men's soccer team will have at least two games aired on the Big Ten Network in 2012. The Nittany Lions make their BTN season debut Oct. 6 at Michigan before hosting Michigan State Oct. 14 at 3 p.m., which will air live on the BTN. The Michigan contest air time will be announced at a later date. Additionally, both Big Ten Tournament semifinal contests and the championship game will be aired live on the BTN.
PRESEASON POLLS
Penn State was selected fifth in the Big Ten men's soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll. Reigning conference champion Northwestern and 2010 Big Ten champion Indiana shared the top spot, followed by Michigan State and Ohio State. Following the Lions, Wisconsin and Michigan round out the list.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Three Nittany Lions found spots on the 2012 Big Ten Players to Watch list. Seniors Minh Vu and Jacob Barron are expected to produce in the midfield this season, while sophomore Andrew Wolverton was one of just two goalkeepers on the list. Wolverton was joined by classmate and fellow keeper, Tyler Miller of Northwestern.