Sept. 13, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's soccer team fought to a 1-1 draw against No. 5 California Friday night at Jeffrey Field as it celebrated the life and legacy of Mack Brady in front of an announced crowd of 3,032.
Kyle MacDonald (Yardley, Pa.) sent the Penn State faithful into a frenzy after squaring the game with his first career collegiate goal in the 77th minute. Teammate Owen Griffith (Lewisburg, Pa.) laid off a beautiful pass to MacDonald, who struck the ball into the top shelf from 10 yards away.
The Nittany Lions then nearly won the game in double overtime as Grant Warming (Omaha, Neb.) fired a corner into the box. Martin Seiler (Stuttgart, Germany) nodded down the cross and Jordan Tyler (Rochester, Mich.) flicked it toward goal, but the Cal defense barely saved it off the line to preserve the tie.
Penn State (2-2-1) controlled the tempo of the match from the outset, riding high on emotions from pregame ceremonies honoring the late Mack Brady and his family.
California (3-0-1) was opportunistic, however, taking the early lead after executing a corner kick play to perfection. Ryan Neil played a short corner and received the ball at the top corner of the box, before curling an in-swinger to the far post. Steve Birnbaum met the ball mid-flight and nodded it past Andrew Wolverton (Atlanta, Ga.) for the 20th minute tally.
The Nittany Lions fought back throughout the first half, generating strong opportunities on the wing with crosses by Randy Falk (Tewskbury Township, N.J.) and Connor Maloney (Harrisburg, Pa.).
Despite the pressure from the Blue & White, Cal nearly doubled its lead in the 37th minute after a wicked low cross by Connor Hallisey. The ball skittered across the box to a sliding Luis Fuentes, who knocked the ball well over the open net.
Penn State did well to control possession again after the halftime break, stretching the Golden Bear defense wide after rattling numerous strings of consecutive passes. The strong play finally paid off for the home side when MacDonald came through with 13 minutes to play.
Cal nearly ended the game before overtime after barely missing on a pair of golden opportunities in the 88th minute. A scramble in the box led to two game-saving blocks by the Penn State defense to send the game to overtime.
Penn State will enjoy a few days off before returning to action Tuesday on Jeffrey Field against Robert Morris at 7:00 p.m.