Oct. 25, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. --The 13th-ranked Penn State men's soccer team looks to do win its second straight Big Ten regular-season title on Sunday when it welcomes No. 19 Northwestern to Jeffrey Field for a 1 p.m. match on Big Ten Network. A win would clinch an outright Big Ten crown, while a tie clinches at least a share of the regular-season title with a game to spare.
| #13 PENN STATE (9-3-1, 4-0-0 Big Ten) vs. #19 NORTHWESTERN (8-3-3, 1-1-1 Big Ten) | |
| Match 14: Oct. 27, 2013 • 1:00 p.m. • Jeffrey Field • University Park, Pa. | |
| VENUE | Jeffrey Field (5,000; Grass) |
| COVERAGE | Big Ten Network | |
| SERIES RECORD vs. NU | Penn State leads 23-5-3 |
| LAST MEETING vs. NU | Oct. 21, 2012; W, 1-0 (OT) at Northwestern |
| NEXT MATCH | Oct. 29 at Penn, 7:00 p.m. |
| Penn State Game Notes | |
MATCH STORIES
• Nittany Lions host Northwestern on BTN in potential Big Ten title-clinching match
• PSU needs one point to clinch share of Big Ten title or two points for outright claim
• Penn State coming off dramatic 2-1 double-overtime comeback win at Michigan State
• Drew Klingenberg tallied three points vs. MSU to earn Big Ten Offensive POW
• Goalkeeper Andrew Wolverton made career-high 9 saves against the Spartans
• Jordan Tyler supplied game-winning goal, this third of the year, at Michigan State
• Penn State's home defense has allowed just five goals in 852 minutes at Jeffrey Field
• Wildcats have drawn in three straight games and are 1-2-3 in past 6 games
• NU's Reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year Joe Calistri leads B1G with 10 goals
PROMOTIONS
Sunday is Penn State's Senior Day, which will celebrate the careers of Micah Collins, Akil Howard, Martin Seiler and Grant Warming following the match. The Nittany Lions will host THON Soccer Day where Four Diamonds families will be present to raise money for THON. Operation Military Kids are also invited to attend Sunday's game for special recognition.
ABOUT THE WILDCATS
Northwestern (8-3-3, 1-1-1 Big Ten) looks to spoil Penn State's Senior Day and move up the Big Ten table. Following a 7-1-0 start, the Wildcats are 1-2-3 in the past six matches including three straight draws with SIU-Edwardsville (0-0), No. 2 Notre Dame (1-1) and Ohio State (0-0). Fueling the hot start was consistent goal scoring in the form of Joe Calistri (10 goals), Chris Ritter (4) and Brandon Medina (3). Calistri at one point scored six straight markers for the Wildcats in wins over Xavier and Green Bay.
During its seven-game winning streak (Sept. 2-28), and subsequent overtime losses to Bradley and Michigan State (Sept. 28-Oct. 2), Northwestern scored 20 times. Since Oct. 6, however, NU has scored just twice in two games. The defense has kept the Wildcats intact the past four matches, conceding just one goal to Notre Dame. Tyler Miller has played well in net, pitching eight shutouts saving over 81 percent of the shots on goal and posting a goals-against average of 0.79.
SERIES HISTORY vs. NU
All-Time Series: Penn State leads 23-5-3
PSU Streak: 1 win
First Meeting: 10/6/1991, PSU 1-0
Last Meeting: 10/21/2012, PSU 1-0 (2OT)
Last PSU Win: 10/21/2012, 1-0 (2OT)
Last NU Win: 11/13/2011, 2-1
Largest PSU Win: 6-1, 11/6/1995
Largest NU Win: 2-1 three times, 1-0 twice
LAST THREE MEETINGS vs. NU
10/21/2012: W, 1-0 (OT) - A
11/13/2011: L, 1-2 - N
10/4/2011: L, 1-2 - H
WHAT'S AT STAKE
For just the second time in Penn State men's soccer history, the Nittany Lions can clinch an outright Big Ten regular-season title. A win on Sunday does it, matching the 2005 Penn State squad that went a perfect 6-0-0 in Big Ten play. A tie clinches at least a share of PSU's second-straight Big Ten regular-season crown, leaving the Nittany Lions another chance to clinch outright at Ohio State on Nov. 2. Penn State has earned two shared regular-season titles (1995, 2012) in addition to its outright win in 2005.
STARTING FAST IN THE BIG TEN
The Nittany Lions won their first four 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.
SENIOR DAY
Penn State men's soccer celebrates the careers of four student-athletes who dedicated countless hours in the classroom and on the field. Goalkeeper Micah Collins, defenders Akil Howard and Martin Seiler, and midfielder Grant Warming are set to play their final regular-season game at Jeffrey Field on Sunday. A brief ceremony with their families will take place at the conclusion of the game. Penn State fans are encouraged to stay after to honor these four Nittany Lion seniors.
PENN STATE'S COMEBACK VICTORY AT MICHIGAN STATE
Down a goal at half, No. 17 Penn State men's soccer came back to defeat No. 14 Michigan State, 2-1, in double overtime Sunday afternoon at DeMartin Stadium. Redshirt-junior striker Jordan Tyler tallied the game winner in the second overtime.
Drew Klingenberg notched the equalizer early in the second half, his first collegiate goal. Junior goalkeeper Andrew Wolverton saved a career-high nine shots in the game as Penn State opened up a six-point lead in the Big Ten standings after four matches.
The winning moment came 53 seconds into the second overtime when Mike Robinson collected a pass back from Klingenberg on the left wing and swung in a perfectly placed ball to a running Tyler as the Michigan native poked the ball home. The helper was Robinson's second of the season and both assists have come in Big Ten play.
LIONS SWEEP BIG TEN WEEKLY AWARDS
For the first time since 2006, two Nittany Lions took home Big Ten weekly honors in the same cycle as sophomore midfielder Drew Klingenberg and junior goalkeeper Andrew Wolverton were named Big Ten Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week, respectively, on Monday afternoon (Oct. 21). Klingenberg tallied three points in the win over Michigan State, while Wolverton made a career-high nine saves. Klingenberg was also named Philly Soccer News Player of the Week, while Wolverton was put on the College Soccer News Team of the Week.
David Gray and Conrad Taylor took home offensive and defensive honors on Oct. 23, 2006, but Gray shared his accolade wtih Greg Janicki of MSU. The last time PSU made a complete sweep of the weekly honors was Sept. 15, 2003 when Chad Severs (offensive) and Matt Novchich (defensive) pulled the feat.
ROBINSON HONORED BY TDS
Junior transfer Mike Robinson, a forward by nature and an accomplished one at that, was named to the TopDrawerSoccer.com's Team of the Week on Tuesday (Oct. 22). Robinson logged 101 minutes, tallied an assist on the game-winner by Jordan Tyler and was effective in limiting the dynamic Spartan offense.
STINGY HOME DEFENSE
Junior goalkeeper Andrew Wolverton has allowed just 5 goals in 852 minutes of action this season (0.53 GAA), collecting 23 saves through the first eight home games. The Nittany Lions are 6-1-1 at Jeffrey Field this season. The netminder has made a career on clean sheets, posting 20 shutouts in 40 career starts (50%). Wolverton set the Penn State single-season record for shutouts as a freshman (12), and is currently fifth on the PSU career shutout list.
CLIMBING THE RANKINGS
On Tuesday, Oct. 15, Penn State received its first national ranking from the NSCAA, checking at No. 17, which was the first NSCAA ranking since Sept. 25, 2012. This week, Penn State vaulted up to 13th. Penn State is one of three Big Ten teams in the coaches' poll including this weekend's opponent No. 19 Northwestern. Michigan State dropped to 17th following its loss to the Nittany Lions. In the NCAA RPI Penn State is at No. 8.