Oct. 2, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Nittany Lion men's soccer team was unable to take advantage of its offensive opportunities and dropped a hard-fought 1-0 double-overtime match to Saint Francis on Wednesday night at Jeffrey Field.
Despite holding a 17-7 edge in shots and finding twice as many shots on net as the Red Flash, Penn State was unable to find the game-winner. Ultimately, a long ball on a counter attack from SFU led to a misplay back to the goalkeeper, allowing SFU's Ryan Byers to tap home the winner and earn the Red Flash's first win over Penn State in 11 tries.
The match nearly ended with five minutes to go in regulation when Penn State's Owen Griffith (York, Pa.) had an open look in front of net, but his header didn't have enough juice and SFU goalkeeper Daniel Valcicak made the diving save.
Offensively, Penn State (6-3-1, 1-0-0 Big Ten) faced a well-organized Saint Francis (7-2-1, 0-0-0 NEC) defense. Unfortunately for the Nittany Lions, they were never able to crack the code. Mark Wadid (Missassauga, Ont.) and Eli Dennis (Easton, Md.) led the team in shots with three apiece.
The loss broke Penn State's four-game winning streak and five-match unbeaten streak dating back to a 1-1 tie with No. 5 Cal on Sept. 13. The tie is Cal's only blemish on an otherwise perfect season as the Golden Bears hold the top spot in the national polls.
The Nittany Lions return to action on Sunday for a 1 p.m. match at Indiana. The match will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network.