Sep 8, 2013
QUEENS, N.Y. - Defender Casey Osborne poked in a goal just before the halftime break to lead the No. 23 St. John's men's soccer team to a 1-0 defeat of Penn State Sunday night at Belson Stadium in Queens, N.Y.
Penn State (2-2-0) will regroup before hosting No. 10 California for a critical matchup Friday at Jeffrey Field. The soccer team will celebrate "Mack Brady Night" to honor the life of Mack Brady, who was an avid soccer fan and son of Schreyer Honors College Dean, Christian Brady.
St. John's (3-1-0) scored the go-ahead goal in the 43rd minute when Tim Parker whipped a corner kick into the near post. The Penn State defenders failed to clear the ball, and Osborne managed to tuck it into the near post from three yards out.
The Nittany Lion offense looked potent in the first half as junior captain Owen Griffith (Lewisburg, Pa.) and Kyle MacDonald (Yardley, Pa.) hooked up for a nice give-and-go on the left flank in the 22nd minute, leading to a dangerous Griffith cross. The ball bounced just out of reach of Jordan Tyler (Rochester, Mich.), who crashed on the far post.
Penn State had another chance 10 minutes later after a beautiful buildup in the midfield. Following a string of one-touch passes, a through ball to Mark Wadid (Mississauga, Ontario) traveled just out of range of the freshman striker.
Danny Bedoya nearly took advantage of a poor Penn State pass in the midfield in the 40th minute, but his strike careened off both posts before falling into the arms of keeper Andrew Wolverton (Atlanta, Ga.).
The Red Storm goal prior to halftime gave the hosts confidence heading into the second half, as it controlled the tempo and generated most of the opportunities.
Penn State desperately played for the equalizer in the final minutes, and nearly converted after freshman Connor Maloney (Harrisburg, Pa.) floated a free kick into the box. Randy Falk (Tewksbury Township, N.J.) volleyed the ball back into the box, but Tyler's header was easily corralled by Diaz.