Nov. 20, 2013
FEATURE: Playing With Heart: Howard Fulfilling His Dreams
UNVIERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State men's soccer returns to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010 and hosts St. Francis Brooklyn on Thursday night (7 p.m.) at Jeffrey Field. The winner advances to the second round at 10th-seeded UC Santa Barbara.
TICKETS & PARKING
Parking to this event is free. Fans can access the grass lots south of Jeffrey Field or the paved lot next to Beaver Stadium. The first 150 Penn State students will gain FREE admittance to Thursday's match with valid ID shown at the gate.
General adult admission is $8, while youth/students are $5. Tickets for groups of 20 or more can be purchased in advance for $3. Tickets are on sale at the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office during normal business hours (M-F 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.). Group tickets have to be purchased in advance. Ticket windows at Jeffrey Field open at 6 p.m.
The Limited Bag Policy is in effect for all Penn State athletic contests. Items brought to the field must be in a clear, one-gallon plastic bag for inspection.
| #16 PENN STATE (11-5-2) vs. ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN (12-5-1) | |
| Match 19: November 21 • 7 p.m. • Jeffrey Field • University Park, Pa. | |
| VENUE | Jeffrey Field (5,000; Grass) |
| COVERAGE | GoPSUsports.com All-Access (FREE) | |
| SERIES RECORD | 0-0-0 |
| LAST MEETING | n/a, First meeting 11/21 |
| POSSIBLE NEXT MATCH | Nov. 24 at UC Santa Barbara, 9 p.m. ET |
| Penn State Game Notes | |
MATCH STORIES
• Nittany Lions take part in their 31st NCAA Tournament on Thursday
• The Lions sport a 25-29-1 all-time record in the NCAA tourney, 20-7-1 at home
• PSU hosts NEC champion St. Francis Brooklyn for the first time in school history
• Penn State-St. Francis winner advances to face 10th-seeded UCSB on Sunday
• Nittany Lions drew Indiana, 0-0, in the Big Ten Tourney, but knocked out on PKs
• Penn State was first team since 2008 (MSU) to shutout IU twice in the same season
• Andrew Wolverton was named 2013 Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year
• Lions have conceded just 6 goals in nearly 1,000 minutes at Jeffrey Field this season
• Five of the past six Penn State matches have featured double overtime
• St. Francis is on a three-match winning streak, scoring 9 goals (5 by Kevin Correa)
PENN STATE'S NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Penn State is making its 31st NCAA Tournament appearance, all of which have come since 1970. For the Nittany Lions, PSU is in the tournament for the first time since 2010 in Bob Warming's first year when the Nittany Lions reached the Sweet 16 in a tough 1-0 loss at second-seeded Maryland.
Penn State is 25-29-1 all-time in the tournament with a 20-7-1 mark at Jeffrey Field. With Thursday's game against St. Francis, the Nittany Lions will have played eight home NCAA games in the past 10 matchups dating back to 2002.
This is the first tournament where PSU was unseeded since 2002 when only the top eight were seeded. The last time Penn State played in the NCAA First Round was 1999 in a 1-0 win over William & Mary.
Against the current membership of the Northeast Conference, Penn State is 3-2-0, last facing an NEC squad in 1994 (W, 3-0 vs. Robert Morris). Penn State has tallied at least one goal in every NCAA game at Jeffrey Field since Nov. 12, 1988 when Farleigh Dickinson earned a 1-0 victory, a span of 14 matches.
The winner of Thursday's contest moves on to face 10th-seeded UC Santa Barbara on Sunday at Harder Field.
STINGY HOME DEFENSE
Junior goalkeeper Andrew Wolverton has allowed just 6 goals in 961 minutes of action this season (0.56 GAA), collecting 25 saves through the first nine home games (7-1-1). The netminder has made a career on clean sheets, posting 21 shutouts in 47 career starts (44.7 percent). Wolverton set the Penn State single-season record for shutouts as a freshman (12), and is currently fourth on the PSU career shutout list.
ABOUT THE TERRIERS
St. Francis Brooklyn (12-5-1) enters Thursday's first-round contest on a three-game winning streak by scoring nine goals and conceding just two. In the NEC Tournament, the fourth-seeded Terriers upset top-seeded Central Connecticut behind two Kevin Correa goals. Correa added two more against Bryant to tie the game twice and Andy Cormack notched the game-winner in OT to clinch the automatic NCAA berth.
Correa, named NEC Tournament MVP, leads the team with 13 goals and six assists. Five of Correa's goals have come in the past three matches and three of those were free kicks. Gabriel Bagot has scored eight times with three assists for the Terriers, who average a shade under two goals per game. Correa and Bagot have combined for 51 of the team's 80 points (63.8 percent). Jack Binks (11-5-1) is the primary netminder, starting 17 matches with seven shutouts, a .831 save percentage and a goals-against average of 0.83.
COMMON ENEMIES
Penn State and St. Francis have faced three common opponents, with Penn State coming away with a 2-1-0 record, while SFC earned a 2-2-0 record. All but one of those matches were decided by more than a goal, SFC's 2-0 win over Central Connecticut in the NEC semifinals.
NITTANY LIONS SHUT OUT HOOSIERS AGAIN, INDIANA ADVANCES IN SHOOTOUT
Top-seeded and 16th-ranked Penn State men's soccer played to a scoreless draw with Indiana on Friday, Nov. 15 at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, but it was the Hoosiers who advanced to the Big Ten Final on penalty kicks, 5-3. Penn State held Indiana to just one shot on goal, while forcing IU keeper Colin Webb into five saves, including quality chances by Owen Griffith and Connor Maloney in regulation. IU held a 22-10 overall edge in shots and took 19 corner kicks during a game that featured 34 fouls committed. The Hoosiers were a perfect 5-for-5 in the shootout.
MARTIN, WARMING EARN BTT HONORS
Seniors Martin Seiler and Grant Warming were named to the Big Ten All-Tournament Team for their efforts in the scoreless draw with Indiana. Seiler and Warming were pivotal in blocking numerous Indiana attempts, allowing just one of IU's 22 shots to reach frame.
NITTANY LIONS REAP BIG TEN AWARDS
Penn State head coach Bob Warming earned his second straight Big Ten Coach of the Year honor and junior Andrew Wolverton was named Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year on Thursday night (Nov. 14).
Jordan Tyler, Martin Seiler and Wolverton earned spots on the first team, while Owen Griffith captured second-team honors. Midfielders Connor Maloney and Mason Klerks were tabbed as All-Big Ten Freshmen.
FREE SOCCER
Penn State has featured in seven overtime contests this year, all of them requiring two extra frames. The Nittany Lions are 2-3-2 in overtime this season with five of the past six matches being decided by free soccer. The last three visits to Ohio have been unkind with Penn State returning to Happy Valley without victory (0-2-1).
DEFYING THE ODDS
Penn State was picked fifth in the preseason Big Ten coaches' poll and went unranked and unvoted in the NSCAA preseason poll. The young Nittany Lions exceeded all expectations to win their second straight Big Ten title and earn a top 10 national ranking two weeks ago.
ONE OR NONE STREAK BROKEN
During Penn State's incredible 9-1-1 run from Sept. 13-Oct. 29, a staple of the Nittany Lions was defense. In fact, until the Akron loss on Nov. 6, Penn State had allowed more than a single goal just once all year, a rare 4-1 loss at Rutgers on Sept. 6. Penn State had kept opponents to one goal or less in 15 of 16 games prior to Akron as Penn State surged to a 11-4-1 record.
Penn State's stout defense rebounded against a formidable Indiana offense, shutting out the Hoosiers for the second time, the first shutout for Penn State since a 2-0 win over the Hoosiers on Oct. 6. Penn State was the first team since Michigan State's 2008 squad to shut out the Hoosiers twice in the same season.
IN 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. Two weeks ago, Penn State vaulted up to 9th, but has since fallen to 16th last week and maintained the same ranking this week. In the NCAA RPI released Oct. 28, Penn State moved up to No. 5. Prior to the Big Ten Tournament, Penn State checked in at 12th in the RPI.
COACHING CLOUT
Among the elite coaches in the sports for the last three decades, head coach Bob Warming is back for his fourth season at Penn State. Warming has an incredible coaching pedigree, including 426 career Division I victories -- second all-time among active DI coaches and third all-time at D-I. He was named Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2012 and 2013 after leading PSU to a pair of league titles.