UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's soccer team welcomes West Virginia to Jeffrey Field for a 7 p.m. showdown Thursday. The Nittany Lions (3-1-0) and the Mountaineers (2-2-0) are both looking to rebound from losses against ranked opponents. Admission and parking to all regular-season contests are free at Jeffrey Field.
ON THE HORIZON Following the match with West Virginia, the Nittany Lions continue their second three-game homestand of the season with showdowns against Albany Sept. 14 and Adelphi Sept. 16.
The squad then opens Big Ten play on the road against Wisconsin Sept. 21 before facing in-state foe Lehigh Sept. 25 in Bethlehem, Pa.
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.
LAST TIME OUT The Nittany Lions split their weekend contests against Duquesne and then-No. 21 Georgetown, defeating the Dukes, 1-0, at home Aug. 31 before dropping a 2-1 decision to the Hoyas on the road in Washington, D.C., Sept. 2.
Senior Minh Vu (Tuscon, Ariz.) gave Penn State the win against Duquesne with a header in the 51st minute off a cross from classmate John Gallagher (Pine Bush, N.Y.). The Nittany Lion defense shut down the Dukes' attack, allowing just one shot on goal. Marvin Ledgister (London, England) recorded the lone score for Penn State against Georgetown, connecting on a cross from Akil Howard (Queens, N.Y.) in the second half to level the game, 1-1. The goal was a first for Ledgister as a Nittany Lion and the assist marked Howard's first point at Penn State.
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS West Virginia opened the 2012 schedule with wins over Hartford, 2-1, and Stetson, 1-0, during the WVU Nike Classic. The Mountaineers are coming off back-to-back 1-0 losses on the road against ACC opponents in No. 1 North Carolina and No. 15 Wake Forest.
Three players have recorded goals for the Mountaineers in 2012. Travis Pittman and Peabo Doue have both notched a goal and an assist, while Jamie Merriam claims one goal. Keeper Pat Eavenson has taken every minute in goal this season, tallying a 0.75 GAA with nine saves.
A HISTORY OF THE SERIES The Nittany Lions lead the all-time series against the Mountaineers, 19-6-1, although WVU has won the last two meetings. The most recent Penn State win came in 1990 as the Lions posted four goals to claim a 4-0 victory in their last season as a member of the Atlantic-10 conference.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING Penn State shares the conference lead with Indiana with eight goals scored so far this season, showing improvement from the team's 2011 offensive performance. The Lions also pace the league in assists with eight. Senior forward Julian Cardona (Lincoln, Neb.) ranks second in the conference with eight points thanks to his four goals through the first two games of the season. Gallagher is one of just five players with multiple assists in the Big Ten.
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.
WHAT AN HONOR! Senior defender Brian Forgue (Glenmoore, Pa.) picked up the first Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors of the season, the conference announced Aug. 27, and senior Julian Cardona (Lincoln, Neb.) garnered a spot on the TopDrawerSoccer.com National Team of the Week after a two-goal performance in the 3-0 win over Stetson.
Forgue earned the award, the first of his career, after guiding the Penn State defense to a shutout of Stetson Aug. 25. The Nittany Lion back line denied the Hatters a shot on goal while allowing just two shots, both in the second half.
Cardona tallied the second and third goals in the Stetson contest, first sending a header into the back of the net in the 64th minute before firing a right-footed blast past goalkeeper Andreas Schnabl from 27 yards out less than a minute later. Cardona tied Vu for the team lead in goals (4) in 2011.