Sept. 21, 2012
MADISON, WIS. - It took over 80 minutes and more than 20 shots, but the Penn State men's soccer team found a way through the Wisconsin defense and freshman Kelton Cheney recorded his second goal of the year to push the Nittany Lions past the Badgers, 1-0, Friday night in Madison, Wis. The contest marked the third-consecutive 1-0 finish between Penn State (6-1-1, 1-0-0 Big Ten) and Wisconsin (2-3-3, 0-1-0 Big Ten).
The Lions will travel to Bethlehem, Pa., for a matchup against Lehigh Tuesday evening before returning home to Jeffrey Field to take on conference foe Indiana Sept. 29.
"I am so happy for the players on our team," Bob Warming, Penn State head coach, said after the showdown. "Wins on the road are hard to come by in the Big Ten."
Cheney (State College, Pa.) delivered a goal for the second-consecutive game, ending the scoring drought in the 82nd minute with a strike past Wisconsin keeper Chase Rau. Freshman Drew Klingenberg (Gibsonia, Pa.) started the play by finding senior Hasani Sinclair (Coral Gables, Fla.), who set up the goal with a beautiful cross through the box to Cheney. The assist marked the first collegiate point for Klingenberg.
"Hasani delivered a match-defining cross and Kelton's placement on the finish was calm and clinical," Warming said of the game-winning play.
The Nittany Lions outshot the Badgers, 23-7, including a 7-1 advantage in shots on goal, and finished with an 8-5 lead in corners. The Penn State back line of captains Brian Forgue (Glenmoore, Pa.) and John Gallagher (Pine Bush, N.Y.), along with Shane Campbell (York, Pa.) and Martin Seiler (Stuttgart, Germany), played all 90 minutes and allowed goalkeeper Emmanuel Martin (Cormontreuil, France) to pick up the team's conference-leading sixth shutout of the season while facing just one shot. Martin improved his record to 5-1-0 with the win.
The Penn State attack kept Rau busy all game, forcing the freshman to make three saves in the first half and another three in the second half before Cheney's goal. In all, 12 Nittany Lions recorded a shot against the Badgers.