Oct. 18, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The 17th-ranked Nittany Lion men's soccer team looks to maintain its foothold atop the Big Ten standings play when it takes on second-place No. 14 Michigan State on Sunday at the DeMartin Soccer Complex. Kick-off is set for 2:30 p.m. in East Lansing, Mich.
| #17 PENN STATE (8-3-1, 3-0-0 Big Ten) at #14 MICHIGAN STATE (8-1-2, 1-0-1 Big Ten) | |
| Match 13: Oct. 20, 2013 • 2:30 p.m. • DeMartin Soccer Complex • East Lansing, Mich. | |
| VENUE | DeMartin Soccer Complex (2,500; Grass) |
| COVERAGE | BTN.com ($) | |
| SERIES RECORD vs. MSU | Penn State leads 19-10-2 |
| LAST MEETING vs. MSU | Nov. 9, 2012; L, 3-1 at Big Ten Tournament |
| NEXT MATCH | Oct. 27 vs. Northwestern, 1:00 p.m. |
| Penn State Game Notes | |
MATCH STORIES
• Nittany Lions travel to East Lansing for Sunday afternoon clash with Michigan State
• Penn State looks to win first game at Michigan State since 2009
• The Lions and Spartans enter the weekend in first and second place in the Big Ten
• PSU remained in first place following 3-1 win over Michigan last Friday
• Martin Seiler earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Monday
• Grant Warming and Owen Griffith supplied the other goals in the win over Michigan
• MSU is on an eight-game unbeaten streak and beat Oakland on Wednesday
ABOUT THE SPARTANS
Michigan State (8-1-2, 1-0-1 Big Ten) is on an eight-game unbeaten streak (6-0-2) and in second place in the Big Ten entering Sunday's clash. The Spartans are 5-1-1 at home, falling only to Valparaiso, 2-1, on Sept. 8. On Wednesday, the Spartans downed Oakland, 3-0, the seventh shutout of the year. On offense, Tim Kreutz leads the team with 15 points on six goals and three assists, while Adam Montague has 13 points on four goals and five assists. Nine different Spartans have tallied goals this year, while conceding just seven. Zach Bennett has been exceptional in goal, stopping 88 percent of the shots on frame with a 0.60 goals-against average.
SERIES HISTORY vs. MSU
All-Time Series: Penn State leads 19-10-2
PSU Streak: 1 loss
First Meeting: 10/27/1991, PSU 2-1
Last Meeting: 11/9/2012, MSU 3-1
Last PSU Win: 10/14/2012, 2-1
Last MSU Win: 11/9/2012, 3-1
Largest PSU Win: 5-0, 11/5/1992
Largest MSU Win: 3-1, 11/9/2012
LAST THREE MEETINGS vs. MSU
11/9/2012: L, 1-3 - N
10/14/2012: W, 2-1 - H
10/9/2011: L, 0-1 - A
NITTANY LIONS TRUMP WOLVERINES
On a chilly, wet Friday evening (Oct. 11), the Nittany Lions downed Michigan 3-1 and improving its Big Ten record to 3-0-0 for the first time since 2005. Penn State's three goals matched its season high, a 3-1 win vs. Wisconsin in the Big Ten opener. Martin Seiler opened the scoring by converting a penalty kick, while Grant Warming and Owen Griffith each added a goal apiece in the second half to secure the win.
Seiler's spot kick conversion came following a Wolverine hand ball in the 10th minute, while Griffith scored his second of the year on a Connor Maloney offering in the 48th minute. Warming sealed the deal with an 80th minute tally against the run of play off a feed from Drew Klingenberg. Warming's goal was the first of his career and his fourth point in the past two matches. Andrew Wolverton made three saves for Penn State.
SEILER WINS BIG TEN WEEKLY HONOR
Redshirt-senior defender Martin Seiler was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Monday afternoon (Oct. 14). The first-place Nittany Lions got off on the right foot against the Wolverines as Seiler put away a 10th-minute penalty kick for an early lead. From there, Seiler's excellent defending kept Michigan at bay for most of the match. It wasn't until the final seven minutes, and with Penn State holding a 3-0 lead, did Michigan tally a goal. For Seiler, the award is his first recognition by the league office.
INTO THE RANKINGS
On Tuesday, Oct. 15, Penn State received its first national ranking from the NSCAA, checking at No. 17. Penn State is one of three Big Ten teams in the coaches' poll including this weekend's opponent No. 14 Michigan State and next week's foe No. 16 Northwestern. For Penn State, it's the first NSCAA ranking since Sept. 25, 2012. In the NCAA RPI Penn State is at No. 15.
STARTING FAST IN THE BIG TEN
The Nittany Lions won their first three Big Ten matches for the first time since 2005. The last time Penn State won its first four Big Ten matches was 2005 when the Nittany Lions went a perfect 6-0-0 en route to a No. 1 seed and the Big Ten Tournament championship.