| 2 | 0 |
| Emmitt Field at Holmes Stadium | Lewisburg, PA | 1,510 | |
| MATCH LINKS |
| FINAL STATISTICS |
Oct. 1, 2014
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The No. 4 Penn State men's soccer team defeated local rival Bucknell, 2-0, on Wednesday in front of an Emmitt Field record 1,510 fans as Penn State represented the highest ranked team to visit the facility.
Mikey Minutillo (San Jose, Calif.) scored his fifth goal of the year in the 17th minute for the game-winner, while Brian James (Sunrise, Fla.) scored his first Penn State goal with less than three minutes to play.
"There were lots of tests this week for our guys in their classes," head coach Bob Warming said. "They had little sleep, just like every other college student and a test tonight on the field that they all got an A for their effort and determination. So many good ideas in the first half, I love working with these guys."
Penn State (9-0-1, 3-0-0 Big Ten) owned the possession from the onset and went ahead for the 10th straight game when Minutillo volleyed home a Drew Klingenberg (Gibsonia, Pa.) cross in the 17th minute. Klingenberg took on his man one-on-one to the end line and chipped a cross over everyone to an open Minutillo who was stationed 13 yards from frame.
The Nittany Lions had several chances to add to the lead in the opening frame, but starter Mike Lansing made four saves to keep the Bison within striking distance. Penn State had a 10-2 edge in shots and a 5-0 margin in corner kicks.
The second half didn't start out swimmingly for the Lions as Bucknell (5-5-0, 1-0-0 Patriot League) nearly equalized on its first real chance of the game. A short cross from the left wing found Jesse Klug at the near post whose toe poke squirted through Andrew Wolverton's (Atlanta, Ga.) legs, but the tall Georgian scrambled to save the shot off the line.
In the 61st minute Penn State appeared to have doubled its lead an Owen Griffith (Lewisburg, Pa.) marker and, in fact, was honored initially. Nevertheless, after conferring with his assistant, the center official ruled Griffith in an offside position on Minutillo's nod-on toward the back post. Eli Dennis (Easton, Md.) set up the play off a corner kick.
Penn State elected to play many of its reserves for the majority of the second half as the Nittany Lions held the Bison attack at bay with the occasional long-range efforts. Wolverton ended the match with six saves. He earned his 30th career shutout, adding to his school record, while the Penn State defense notched its eighth shutout of the year.
In the 87th minute, Randy Falk (Tewksbury Township, N.J.) swung a left-winged cross that skipped through the penalty area to find James, who flicked goalie Clarke Fox.
MATCH NOTES
• Penn State scored first for the 10th straight game this year. The Nittany Lions have scored in all 10 games and have not trailed all season.
• Minutillo matched his single-season high with his fifth goal on Wednesday night. Minutillo scored five goals his freshman year at Virginia Tech in 2010. He has a career-high 14 points this season.
• Penn State improved to 60-8-4 all-time against Bucknell beating the Bison for the second straight time.
• The Nittany Lions upped its record to 221-46-24 (.801) all-time against current Division I teams in Pennsylvania. Penn State went 4-0-0 against Keystone State teams in the regular season, out-scoring those teams by a combined 11-2.
• The 9-0-1 matches the best start since 1984 (9-0-1). That squad was the last one to start the season with 10 games unbeaten.
• Penn State won its sixth straight game on Wednesday, the first time PSU achieved the feat since 2005 (10-game winning streak).
• James is the ninth different Nittany Lion to score a goal this year through 10 games. Last season, Penn State had 10 different goal scorers in 21 games.
NEXT MATCH
The Nittany Lions have a quick turnaround as they host one of their newest Big Ten rivals in Rutgers on Saturday night. Game time at Jeffrey Field is slated for 7 p.m. as the first 200 students will receive #PennStateFutbol t-shirts.