Nov. 5, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. --No. 11 Penn State men's soccer looks to get back to its winning ways when it travels to No. 9 Akron on Wednesday night. The Nittany Lions and Zips kick-off at 7 p.m. as PSU tries to beat Akron for the first time since 2004.
| #11 PENN STATE (11-4-1, 5-1-0 Big Ten) at #9 AKRON (12-3-1, 4-1-0 MAC) | |
| Match 17: Nov. 6 • 7:00 p.m. • FirstEnergy Stadium - Cub Cadet Field • Akron, Ohio | |
| VENUE | FirstEnergy Stadium - Cub Cadet Field (5,800; Grass) |
| STREAMING COVERAGE | MAC-sports.com | Live Stats |
| SERIES RECORD | Akron leads 15-13-5 |
| LAST MEETING | Oct. 10, 2012, Akron 2-0 |
| NEXT MATCH | Nov. 15 at Big Ten Semifinals, Noon |
| Penn State Game Notes | |
MATCH STORIES
• Nittany Lions travel to Akron for final regular-season match
• Penn State seeks first win over top 10 team this season
• Nittany Lions have had won four straight road matches prior to loss at Ohio State
• Penn State checks in at 12th in the NCAA RPI, 11th in the NSCAA poll
• Nittany Lions haven't defeated the Zips since 2004, last tied Akron in 2008
• Akron is on a 6-match unbeaten streak (5-0-1) entering Wednesday's game
• Zips are led offensively by Adam Najem and Reinaldo Brenes with four goals each
ABOUT THE ZIPS
Akron (12-3-1, 4-1-0 MAC) enters Wednesday's match on a six-game unbeaten streak (5-0-1) following a pair of 2-1 wins over Northern Ilinois (Oct. 26) and Michigan (Oct. 30). At home, the Zips are 5-2-1, suffering losses to VCU and Hartwick, while drawing with Michigan State. Akron fires 19 shots per game yielding 1.19 goals per game. The Zips have featured in 14 matches decided by a goal or less, going 11-2-1.
A balanced scoring attack, Akron is led by four-goal scorers Adam Najem and Reinaldo Brenes, while Eric Stevenson and Robbie Derschang have each bagged three goals. In net, Fernando Pina has played all 1,522 minutes, saving 79 percent of shots on goal with eight shutouts and a goals-against average of 0.59.
SERIES HISTORY vs. AKRON
All-Time Series: Akron leads 15-13-5
PSU Streak: 4 losses
First Meeting: 11/10/1978, PSU 4-0
Last Meeting: 10/10/2012, Akron 2-0
Last PSU Win: 9/19/2004, 4-0
Last UA Win: 10/10/2012, 2-0
Largest PSU Win: 4-0, twice and 5-1 once
Largest UA Win: 3-0, 10/28/2009
LAST THREE MEETINGS vs. UA
10/10/2012: L, 0-2 - H
10/12/2011: L, 0-1 - A
10/13/2010: L, 1-2 (2OT) - H
In the series, the two teams have met every year since 2002. Penn State last notched a win in 2004, a 4-0 triumph at Jeffrey Field. There have been two draws (2006, 2008) and the rest are Zip wins.
COMMON ENEMIES
Penn State and Akron have faced six common opponents this season. PSU went 3-3-0 in those matches, while Akron went 4-1-1.
Opponent -- PSU // AKRON
Michigan: W, 3-1 // W, 2-1
Michigan State: W, 2-1 (2OT) // T, 0-0 (2OT)
Ohio State: L, 0-1 (2OT) // W, 1-0
West Virginia: W, 2-1 // W, 1-0
Rutgers: L, 1-4 // W, 2-1 (2OT)
St. John's: L, 0-1 // L, 1-2 (2OT)
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. Last week, Penn State vaulted up to 9th, while in the NCAA RPI released Monday, Oct. 28, Penn State moved up to No. 5. This week, Penn State fell to 11th in the NSCAA poll and 12th in the RPI.
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 last week.
BIG TEN NETWORK SCHEDULE
Penn State is scheduled to be featured on the Big Ten Network at least two times this season. The Lions were first on national television when they traveled to preseason No. 1 Indiana on Oct. 6 and beat the defending NCAA champions, 2-0. The Blue and White returned to the national spotlight in a home match against Northwestern two weekends ago in a thrilling 2-1 victory.
With the Big Ten Tournament upcoming, Penn State will appear on BTN at least once more with the Nittany Lions' semifinal match on Friday, Nov. 15 shown live at Noon. Should Penn State advance to the final, Penn State will appear on Sunday, Nov. 17 at 2 p.m.
HEARTBREAK IN COLUMBUS
The No. 9 Penn State men's soccer team rattled off a season-high 27 shots, but couldn't solve the riddle that was Ohio State, falling 1-0 in double overtime to the Buckeyes on Saturday night (Nov. 2) at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. Of the 27 shots, Penn State put six on frame but couldn't slide any past OSU's Alex Ivanov. Nevertheless, a counter attack by Danny Jensen down the right flank beat Andrew Wolverton to the far post and Ohio State came out on top. The loss ended Penn State's quest for a perfect 6-0-0 Big Ten season.
NOT PENN DEFEATS THE QUAKERS
Penn State's first trip to Rhodes Field in three years was identical to its 2010 visit -- a 2-1 win on Tuesday night (Oct. 29). Eli Dennis tallied a 64th-minute goal to put Penn State ahead before the Quakers got one back in the 73rd minute. Nevertheless, Shane Campbell bagged the game-winner with six minutes remaining as he sent home a Mason Klerks' effort that was initially saved by Penn. Connor Maloney tallied his seventh assist of the year on Dennis' goal, while Andrew Wolverton made five saves as Penn State for the ninth time in 10 matches.