Sept. 20, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -The Penn State men's soccer team travels to Madison, Wis., Friday for its Big Ten opener against Wisconsin. Kickoff is set for 8:30 p.m. ET. The Nittany Lions carry a 5-1-1 record, while the Badgers are 2-2-3.
ON THE HORIZON
Following the match with Wisconsin, the Nittany Lions travel to Bethlehem, Pa., for a contest with Lehigh at 7 p.m. Tuesday before hosting Big Ten foe Indiana Sept. 29.
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.
BADGER BIO
Wisconsin enters the contest with a 2-2-3 record after playing five of its first seven games away from home under third-year head coach John Trask. The Badgers have collected wins against Memphis (4-3) and IUPUI (2-0), while producing 1-1 draws with Evansville, Portland and Georgetown.
Junior forward Chris Prince leads the Badgers with six points and two goals this season. Freshman keeper Chase Rau has started six of seven tilts in his first campaign. The Sparta, Mich., native carries a 1.26 goal against average with 19 saves in 645 minutes between the pipes.
A HISTORY OF THE SERIES
Penn State leads the all-time series with the Badgers, 13-11-2. The teams split their two meetings in 2011. Wisconsin converted a penalty kick with 21 seconds remaining in the second overtime period to claim a 1-0 victory in the final showdown of the regular season before the Nittany Lions notched a 1-0 win of their own to advance to the Big Ten championship game.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
Penn State shares the Big Ten lead with Indiana with only four goals allowed this season, while pacing the league with five shutouts. The Nittany Lions have posted strong offensive numbers through the first seven games as well, landing in second in points (36), goals (12) and assists (12) among conference teams.
Senior Julian Cardona (Lincoln, Neb.) has been a force on the attack this season, tallying 11 points on five goals and an assist. Those numbers have the Nebraska native trailing just Eriq Zavaleta of Indiana in points and goals in the conference. Cardona has been efficient with his shots, placing more than 60 percent on goal and 38.5 percent in the goal. Classmate Minh Vu (Tuscon, Ariz.) leads the team and is one off the Big Ten leader in assists (3), while John Gallagher (Pine Bush, N.Y.) has added a pair. Multiple Nittany Lions have contributed to the offensive success as 12 players have recorded a point, including seven with goals.
Defensively, the Nittany Lions have allowed just 17 shots on goal, fewest in the Big Ten. Senior Emmanuel Martin (Cormontreuil, France) has taken the bulk of the minutes in goal and carries a 0.87 GAA through five starts. Sophomore Andrew Wolverton (Snellville, Ga.) has yet to allow a goal in more than 200 minutes of play, recording six saves in two starts.
FOREVER YOUNG
Head coach Bob Warming has not hesitated to infuse his lineup with youth this season as seven freshmen have logged minutes on the field. Rookie Shane Campbell (York, Pa.) has started four games on the back line this season, while classmate Drew Klingenberg (Gibsonia, Pa.) received his first start against Adelphi Sept. 16.
Freshman Kelton Cheney (State College, Pa.) and redshirt-freshman Kyle MacDonald (Yardley, Pa.) recorded their first collegiate points on the same play in the 3-0 win over Adelphi. MacDonald notched an assist on Cheney's scoring strike in the second half. First-year goalkeeper Danny Sheerin (College Park, Md.) made his first appearance against the Panthers, guarding the net for the final nine minutes of the shutout.
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.