Sept. 27, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State continues its Big Ten schedule with a showdown against Indiana at 7 p.m. Saturday at Jeffrey Field. The Nittany Lions (6-2-1) and Hoosiers (6-2-1) both notched opening-weekend victories against conference teams as Penn State knocked off Wisconsin, 1-0, and Indiana downed Ohio State, 2-0.
ON THE HORIZON
The Lions continue conference play with an Oct. 6 matchup with Michigan on the road in Ann Arbor, Mich., before returning home for another three-game homestand. The schedule includes Akron Oct. 10, Michigan State Oct. 14 and Bucknell Oct. 17.
A LOOK AT THE HOOSIERS
Indiana is powered by a high-octane attack that leads the conference in goals (15), led by sophomore standout Eriq Zavaleta. The 2011 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Zavaleta has added seven goals to his career total this season, accounting for nearly half of the team's scoring. A.J. Corrado and Jacob Bushue have both added two assists this season.
Senior goalkeeper Luis Soffner is a strong last line of defense for the Hoosiers. Soffner, named a 2012 captain along with classmate Caleb Konstanski, has allowed just five goals while recording all 830 minutes (0.54 GAA) between the pipes, including five shutouts.
Hoosier head coach Todd Yeagley is in his third year at the helm of the program. Indiana opened the season 4-0-2 before its first loss against No. 3 Akron Sept. 7. Since then, the squad has won three of its last four while coming off a 1-0 loss to No. 9 Notre Dame Wednesday.
A HISTORY OF THE SERIES
The seven-time national champion Hoosiers lead the all-time series with the Nittany Lions, 11-28-3. However, the two clubs have split the last 10 meeting down the middle, 5-5, with both scoring 10 goals in the span. Each of those decisions have been one-goal victories, including six 1-0 contests.
The Nittany Lions won three in a row against the Hoosiers from 2005-06, including a 1-0 victory to claim the 2005 Big Ten Championship, and have not dropped three-consecutive games to Indiana since 2000-02.
Last season, Indiana notched a 1-0 victory at home with Alec Purdie's 77th-minute goal. The teams split their 2010 meetings as the Hoosiers claimed the regular-season contest, 3-2, before the Nittany Lions upset top-seeded Indiana, 2-1, in the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament.
505 MINUTES
The phenomenal scoreless streak by the Penn State defense came to an end in the final minute of the contest against Lehigh Sept. 25 after climbing to 505:56 minutes of on-field time, the longest streak of such in the Big Ten this season. Starting with a goal in the 54th minute of the contest against Georgetown Sept. 2, the Nittany Lions allowed just 12 shots on goal while pitching shutouts in four-consecutive matches, including a 110-minute marathon against West Virginia Sept. 6. The team finished 3-0-1 in that span, outscoring opponents, 5-0, before facing the Mountain Hawks.
Senior Brian Forgue (Glenmoore, Pa.) anchored the defense every minute of the run, while classmate John Gallagher (Pine Bush, N.Y.) was off the field just over a minute. Freshman Shane Campbell (York, Pa.) and junior Martin Seiler (Stuttgart, Germany) helped suffocate opponents' attacks the majority of the duration on the back line alongside Forgue and Gallagher. Three keepers, Emmanuel Martin (Cormontreuil, France), Andrew Wolverton (Snellville, Ga.) and Danny Sheerin (College Park, Md.), spent time in goal for Penn State, combining to stop the 12 shots.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
Penn State shares the Big Ten lead with Indiana with only five goals allowed this season, while pacing the league with six shutouts. The Nittany Lions have posted strong offensive numbers through the first nine games as well, landing in second in points per game (4.44) and assists per game (1.56) and third in goals per game (1.56) 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. Classmate Minh Vu (Tuscon, Ariz.) leads the team and is tied for second in the Big Ten in assists (3), while John Gallagher has added a pair of helpers. Multiple Nittany Lions have contributed to the offensive success as 14 players have recorded a point, including seven with goals.
Defensively, the Nittany Lions have allowed just 22 shots on goal, fewest in the Big Ten. Senior Emmanuel Martin has taken the bulk of the minutes in goal and carries a 0.72 GAA through six starts. Sophomore Andrew Wolverton has allowed just one goal in more than 300 minutes of play (0.28 GAA), recording nine saves in three starts.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Head coach Bob Warming has not hesitated to infuse his team with youth this season as seven freshmen have logged minutes on the field. Rookie Shane Campbell has started four games on the back line this season, while classmates Drew Klingenberg (Gibsonia, Pa.) and Kelton Cheney (State College, Pa.) received their first starts against Adelphi Sept. 16 and Lehigh Sept. 25, respectively.
Cheney 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 made his first appearance against the Panthers, guarding the net for the final nine minutes of the shutout. Klingenberg opened his collegiate account with an assist on Cheney's gamewinner against Wisconsin Sept. 21.
THE RISE OF AN ARMY
Penn State ranks third in the Big Ten in attendance this season, averaging over 1,400 fans per game at Jeffrey Field. The support has helped the Nittany Lions propel to a 5-0-1 start at home.
ALL YOU NEED IS ONE
Three of the Nittany Lions' six victories have come in 1-0 fashion this season, including the team's victory against Wisconsin Sept. 21. Penn State also knocked off Albany and Duquesne by a 1-0 margin.
BIG TEN ROUND-UP
Indiana and Northwestern joined Penn State in the win column following the opening weekend of Big Ten matches. While the Hoosiers and Nittany Lions downed Ohio State and Wisconsin, respectively, the Wildcats claimed a 2-0 win against Michigan.
This weekend features matchups between Ohio State and Michigan, as well as Michigan State and Northwestern, while Wisconsin will play an out-of-conference contest against Cleveland State.
KEEP ON POLLING
Penn State is currently ranked 20th nationally, according to SoccerAmerica.com. The Nittany Lions also landed on TopDrawerSoccer.com's Top 48 with a 36th-place ranking. The team sits at No. 6 in the Great Lakes division of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll, while receiving 22 votes in the Top 25 list.
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.
AWARD-WINNING PERFORMANCES
Penn State players have collected multiple individual accolades this season, including a pair of Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week awards.
Owen Griffith (Lewisburg, Pa.), a sophomore defender, was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week Sept. 10 after helping the Nittany Lions shut out West Virginia in a scoreless draw Sept. 6. Senior defender Brian Forgue picked up the first Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors of the season Aug. 27 following a 3-0 victory over Stetson in the campaign-opener. Classmate Julian Cardona garnered a spot on the TopDrawerSoccer.com National Team of the Week the same day after his two-goal performance against the Hatters.
Numerous players have also landed on all-tournament teams after the WVU Nike Classic, co-hosted by West Virginia and Penn State, and the Class of '98 Invitational, co-hosted with Bucknell, in which the Nittany Lions finished a combined 4-0-0.
WVU Nike Classic:
Julian Cardona - Offensive MVP
Jacob Barron
Daniel Burnham
Brian Forgue
Class of '98 Invitational:
Julian Cardona
Brian Forgue
Owen Griffith
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.