Oct. 11, 2013
 3 PENN STATE (8-3-1, 3-0-0 Big Ten) | University Park, Pa. • Jeffrey Field • Attendance: 936 |  1 MICHIGAN (4-4-3, 1-2-0 Big Ten) |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - On a chilly, wet Friday evening, the Nittany Lions put their perfect Big Ten record on the line against a solid Michigan squad. The Blue and White was up for the challenge, winning by a final of 3-1 and improving its Big Ten record to 3-0 for the first time since 2005.
Penn State's three goals match its season high, a 3-1 win at Wisconsin in the Big Ten opener. Martin Seiler (Stuttgart, Germany) opened the scoring by converting a penalty kick and Grant Warming (Omaha, Neb.) and Owen Griffith (Lewisburg, Pa.) each added a goal apiece in the second half to secure the win.
Michigan's James Murphy had the game's first clear scoring opportunity, finding space along the left flank and firing a shot wide. After the Murphy attempt, Penn State found its footing and started getting forward offensively.
In the 10th minute, Penn State got the breakthrough it was searching for. The Nittany Lions played a ball into the Wolverine's box that found the arm of a Michigan player, resulting in a penalty kick. Seiler stepped up to the spot and delivered a low drive into the right corner of the goal as the keeper guessed wrong and dove left to put PSU up 1-0. The goal was the senior's third of the season and the penalty kick was the team's first opportunity of 2013.
After the opening score, the two sides battled back and forth with neither team able to find the back of the net. PSU's Eli Dennis worked himself free for a header in the waning minutes of the opening frame but narrowly sent the ball over the bar, keeping the score 1-0 in favor of the Lions.
Penn State went into the half with the goal advantage despite having fewer shots and corners than Michigan. The Wolverines outshot the Lions 7-5 and led in corner attempts 6-2. The first half lead marked the third time this season that the Blue and White were on top heading into the halftime break.
The Nittany Lions opened the second stanza with a beautiful goal to double their lead. In the 48th minute, Connor Maloney (Harrisburg, Pa.) beat his man to the endline and cut into the right side of the box, picking out Griffin with a perfectly weighted pass. Griffin slotted past the Wolverine keeper to increase the Penn State lead to 2-0.
With the two goal lead, the Nittany Lions' defense put the clamps down on the Michigan attack, not allowing many clear-cut goal scoring opportunities. Murphy narrowly pulled the visitors back within one in the 67th minute, as the forward found himself with space in the box but ripped the shot just wide across the face of the goal.
12 minutes later Penn State secured its victory on Warming's first career goal to give the Lions an insurmountable three goal cushion. PSU used a quick counter attack, as Drew Klingenberg (Gibsonia, Pa.) played Warming into a wide-open Wolverine's defensive third with a great through ball. Warming then drew the Michigan keeper off his line before calmly curling a shot into the right side of the goal to all but seal the victory.
Michigan managed to avoid the shutout just four minutes later, as Yamann Sahlool collected a loose ball in front of the Penn State goal and finished past the keeper to draw the Wolverines within two.
However the goal was too little too late, as Penn State closed out the remaining six and a half minutes en route to its sixth win in last seven matches. With the victory the Lions are now 8-3-1 on the season and 3-0 in the Big Ten. The Blue and White are alone atop the Big Ten standings with nine points. The only other conference member yet to drop a point is Michigan State, who has played just one match in the Big Ten.
The Lions have over a week off before traveling to Lansing, Mich. on Sunday, Oct. 20 to face the Spartans in a match that is shaping up to be a crucial Big Ten showdown. The match is scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m.