June 24, 2014
2014 Penn State Men's Soccer Schedule
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The back-to-back Big Ten champion Penn State men's soccer team revealed its 17-game regular-season schedule, which includes 11 home matches at Jeffrey Field, on Tuesday. The Nittany Lions will face eight teams that made the 2013 NCAA Tournament.
Highlighting the 2014 schedule is an eight-game Big Ten slate as 2013 NCAA Finalist Maryland and Rutgers join the conference. Penn State travels to Maryland's Ludwig Field Sunday, Oct. 12 (2 p.m.), while Rutgers visits Happy Valley Oct. 4 for a 7 p.m. match.
Home matches against NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago include St. John's (Aug. 31, 7 p.m.), Penn (Sept. 24, 7 p.m.), NCAA Quarterfinalist Michigan State (Oct. 18, 7 p.m.), Wisconsin (Oct. 26, 2 p.m.) and Akron (Nov. 5, 7 p.m.).
In addition to the away game at Maryland, PSU faces 2012 national champion Indiana (Sept. 13, 7:30 p.m.) and Northwestern (Nov. 2, 2 p.m.) as representatives in the NCAA tournament last season.
Penn State opens its regular season with three home games starting with Oakland on Friday, Aug. 29 at 8 p.m. as part of a soccer doubleheader with the women's team who takes on UConn at 5:30 p.m. That is followed by a Sunday night battle against St. John's at 7 p.m. PSU and the Grizzlies will faceoff for the first time, while St. John's plays its first game at Jeffrey Field since a thrilling 2-1 triple-overtime Lion win in the 1999 NCAA Tournament.
The following weekend features a Friday-Monday setup as Temple comes to Happy Valley (Sept. 5, 7 p.m.) for the first time since Sept. 11, 1996, a 6-1 Penn State win. The match against also will be the 60th anniversary celebration of Penn State's 1954 national title, which was clinched against the Owls.
Following the Temple match, Penn State heads south to James Madison for the sixth match-up in series history against the Dukes. That match, slated for Monday, Sept. 8 at 4 p.m. PSU fell 3-0 at JMU in 2009.
Big Ten play kicks off the following weekend on Sept. 13 as Penn State will try to replicate its historic 2-0 win at Indiana with another road match in Armstrong Stadium. The shutout victory was the first in PSU history against the Hoosiers on their home turf. IU would eliminate the Lions from the 2013 Big Ten Tournament in penalty kicks following a 0-0 draw.
A mid-week Tuesday game at Jeffrey Field sees Saint Francis University on Sept. 16. The 7 p.m. game will be a rematch of last year's 1-0 double-overtime win for the Red Flash. That is followed by the Big Ten home opener against Ohio State Sunday, Sept. 21 at 1 p.m.
The Penn Quakers trek to Penn State on Wednesday, Sept. 24 for the 33rd all-time meeting between the two teams. PSU won last year's contest, 2-1, at Rhodes Field in Philadelphia.
A two-game road stretch has the Lions traveling to Michigan (Sept. 28, 2 p.m.) prior to a mid-week clash at Bucknell on Wednesday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. Penn State's series with Bucknell is the most-played in program history as the 2014 affair will be the 72nd all-time meeting (PSU leads 59-8-4).
Three straight Saturdays feature Big Ten contests with Rutgers (Oct. 4) at home, Maryland (Oct. 12) on the road and Michigan State (Oct. 18) at home. West Virginia (Wednesday, Oct. 22, 7 p.m.) and Wisconsin (Sunday, Oct. 26) cap Penn State's third three-game home stand of the season.
The newly expanded Big Ten men's soccer tournament will take place Nov. 7-16. The eight and nine seeds will play in a match on Friday, Nov. 7 at the No. 1 seed before facing the top seed on Sunday, Nov. 9. The other Big Ten Quarterfinals will take place at the higher seed on that Sunday.
The semifinals and final will take place at the highest remaining seed the following weekend. Semifinals are set for Friday, Nov. 14 and the championship bout on Sunday, Nov. 16.
The 2014 Nittany Lion squad will search for its third consecutive Big Ten crown led by last year's Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year and All-NSCAA First Team honoree Andrew Wolverton (Atlanta, Ga.). Also returning to the fold are midfielders Connor Maloney (Harrisburg, Pa.) and Eli Dennis (Easton, Md.) who tallied 11 and 10 points, respectively, in 2013. Two-time All-Big Ten mention Owen Griffith (Lewisburg, Pa.) returns for his senior season in 2014 as well.
2014 PENN STATE MEN'S SOCCER SCHEDULE
Aug. 29 vs. OAKLAND, 8 p.m.
Aug. 31 vs. ST. JOHN'S, 7 p.m.
Sept. 5 vs. TEMPLE, 7 p.m.
Sept. 8 at James Madison, 4 p.m.
Sept. 13 at Indiana*, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 16 vs. SAINT FRANCIS U., 7 p.m.
Sept. 21 vs. OHIO STATE*, 1 p.m.
Sept. 24 vs. PENN, 7 p.m.
Sept. 28 at Michigan*, 2 p.m.
Oct. 1 at Bucknell, 7 p.m.
Oct. 4 vs RUTGERS*, 7 p.m.
Oct. 12 at Maryland*, 2 p.m.
Oct. 18 vs. MICHIGAN STATE*, 7 p.m.
Oct. 22 vs. WEST VIRGINIA, 7 p.m.
Oct. 26 vs. WISCONSIN*, 2 p.m.
Nov. 2 at Northwestern*, 2 p.m.
Nov. 5 vs. AKRON, 7 p.m.
Nov. 7 Big Ten First Round (8 vs. 9 seeds, at No. 1 seed)
Nov. 9 Big Ten Quarterfinals (at higher seed)
Nov. 14 Big Ten Semifinals (at highest remaining seed)
Nov. 16 Big Ten Final (at highest remaining seed)