Oct. 13, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -Penn State men's soccer hosts conference foe Michigan State at 3 p.m. Sunday at Jeffrey Field. The contest between the Nittany Lions (6-4-2, 1-1-1 B1G) and Spartans (5-6-1, 1-1-0 B1G) will be aired live on the Big Ten Network.
ON THE HORIZON
Following the tilt with Michigan State, the Lions conclude their three-game homestand by hosting in-state competitor Bucknell Oct. 17. Penn State travels to Evanston, Ill., for an afternoon match with Northwestern Oct. 21, followed by the team's final home contest against Ohio State Oct. 28.
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.
A LOOK AT THE SPARTANS
Michigan State has won three of its last four contests entering the weekend, including a 2-1 road victory over Ohio State and a pair of nonconference matches against Western Michigan and Detroit at home. Offensively, the Spartans are led by sophomore forward Adam Montague and senior midfielder Luke Norman, while fifth-year senior defenseman Ryan Thelen has contributed a team-high four assists. Redshirt-junior Bryce Dobbins has started in goal 10 of 12 games this season, earning a 1.22 GAA with 29 saves in 962 minutes.
Head coach Damon Rensing is in his fourth year at the helm of the Spartan soccer program. Rensing led the squad to the Round of 16 in the NCAA tournament two years ago. A four-time letterwinner at Michigan State, Rensing was an assistant under long-time head coach Joe Baum for 10 years, helping the team to the 2004 and 2008 Big Ten Tournament championships and four NCAA tournament bids.
The team wraps up its Big Ten schedule with home games against Wisconsin and Indiana, as well as a trip to Ann Arbor, Mich., to face the Wolverines.
A HISTORY OF THE SERIES
Penn State leads the all-time series with Michigan State, 18-9-2. Before the Spartans claimed a 1-0 victory in 2011, the Nittany Lions won three-consecutive meetings from 2009-10, including a 3-0 win in the semifinals of the 2009 Big Ten Tournament. Head coach Bob Warming is 1-1-0 against Michigan State after winning his first contest in 2010, 2-1, in University Park.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
Penn State has allowed just nine goals this season and trails only Indiana (8) in that category. The Nittany Lions are also second behind the Hoosiers with six shutouts. The Lions have posted strong offensive numbers as well, landing in second in assists per game (1.33) and fourth in points per game (3.67). The team leads the conference with 15.58 shots per game.
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 sitting in third in points and second in goals in the Big Ten. Classmate Minh Vu (Tuscon, Ariz.) leads the team and is tied for sixth in the Big Ten in assists (3), while John Gallagher (Pine Bush, N.Y.), Hasani Sinclair (Coral Gables, Fla.) and Daniel Burnham (Boise, Idaho) have added a pair of helpers. Multiple Nittany Lions have contributed to the offensive success as 14 players have recorded a point, including eight with goals. Six different players have scored the game-winning goals this season.
Defensively, the Nittany Lions have allowed just 33 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 0.90 GAA through eight starts. Sophomore Andrew Wolverton (Snellville, Ga.) has allowed just two goals in more than 400 minutes of play (0.42 GAA), recording 10 saves in four starts.
THE RISE OF AN ARMY
Penn State ranks second in the Big Ten in attendance this season, averaging over 1,500 fans per game at Jeffrey Field. The support has helped the Nittany Lions achieve a 5-2-1 record at home.
The seven Big Ten teams have combined for over 50,000 fans at 46 home games this season.
IRON MEN
Penn State has enjoyed consistency on its back line this autumn, as seniors Brian Forgue (Glenmoore, Pa.) and John Gallagher, junior Martin Seiler (Stuttgart, Germany) and freshman Shane Campbell (York, Pa.) have played a total of 3,736 of a possible 4,540 minutes. Forgue leads the way after directing the defense for 1,072 minutes from the center back position, while Seiler has logged 1,051 minutes alongside Forgue in the middle of the formation.
Midfielders Jacob Barron (La Mirada, Calif.) and Owen Griffith (Lewisburg, Pa.) have been mainstays, as well, combining to play 1,920 of a possible 2,270 minutes this season.
ODDS AND ENDS
The Lions are:
- 5-2-1 at Jeffrey Field
- 3-0 when the team posts 20 or more shots
- 5-2-1 when allowing 10 or fewer shots
- 3-0 when scoring multiple goals
- 6-1-1 when scoring one goal
- 3-1 when attendance numbers top 1,000
- 0-1-2 when the game reaches overtime
- 3-0 this season when Julian Cardona finds the back of the net and 4-1 when he registers two or more shots
- 5-1-1 when Daniel Burnham records two or more shots
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 anchored the defense every minute of the run, while classmate John Gallagher was off the field just over a minute. Freshman Shane Campbell and junior Martin Seiler helped suffocate opponents' attacks the majority of the duration on the back line alongside Forgue and Gallagher. Three keepers, Emmanuel Martin, Andrew Wolverton and Danny Sheerin, spent time in goal for Penn State, combining to stop the 12 shots.
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 eight 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 (College Park, Md.) 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.
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.
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, 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