| #23 PENN STATE vs. #21 MSU | |
| BIG TEN QUARTERFINALS | |
| 12-4-1 | 10-4-4 |
| Sunday, Nov. 9 at 1 p.m. | |
| Jeffrey Field | University Park, Pa. | |
| MATCH DAY CENTRAL |
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Statistics: Penn State | Michigan state Promotions: First 200 Fans Get Pizza!
| INSIDE THE NUMBERS | ||
| PSU | MSU | |
| 12-4-1 | Overall Record | 10-4-4 |
| 5-3-0 | Conference Record | 4-2-2 |
| 26 | Goals Scored | 25 |
| 14 | Goals Allowed | 14 |
| 1.53 | Goals Scored/gm. | 1.39 |
| 0.82 | Goals Allowed/gm. | 0.78 |
| 111-252 | Shots on Goal-Attempts | 91-230 |
| 14.8 | Shots/gm. | 12.8 |
| 28 | Assists | 27 |
| 100 | Corner Kicks | 94 |
| 60 | Saves | 65 |
| 10 | Shutouts | 10 |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - 23rd ranked Penn State men's soccer opens the 2014 Big Ten Tournament on Sunday as the No. 4 seed against fifth-seeded Michigan State at 1 p.m. on Jeffrey Field. The Nittany Lions face the Spartans for the second time in three tournaments. Admission is free for all and the first 200 fans will receive free pizza. Gates open at Noon.
ADMISSION & BAG POLICY
Admission and parking are free to Sunday's Big Ten Quarterfinal match. Fans attending Penn State soccer matches at Jeffrey Field will have to comply with Penn State University's Bag Policy. Fans are advised that no backpacks or briefcases maybe brought into the stadium and all bags must be searched. For more information visit the Safety Policy SY44 Page or Penn State's Bag Policy Page.
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
Michigan State (10-4-4) finished fifth in the Big Ten following a 3-2 win over No. 2 Indiana on Wednesday in Bloomington. The Spartans never trailed, using two goals by Ken Krolicki and a game-winner by Adam Montague in the 83rd minute. The 3-2 win came after a disappointing 3-2 home loss to Michigan where the Spartans let a 2-1 lead slip away.
The Michigan State defense has been one of the best in the Big Ten this season, however, it has failed to pitch a shutout since Oct. 18 in a 2-0 win at Penn State (five straight games). Zach Bennett anchors the defense with a 0.75 GAA and .821 save percentage and nine shutouts.
The Spartans have capitalized on teams in the first half, out-scoring their opponents, 11-3. The balanced MSU offense has four four-goal scorers (Jason Stacy, Jay Chapman, Adam Montague, Zach Carroll) as well as defender Tim Kreutz who has three tallies. Stacy is tied for the league lead with PSU's Brian James for assists (7).
SERIES HISTORY vs. MSU
All-Time Series:PSU leads 20-11-2
PSU Streak:1 loss
First Meeting:10/27/91, PSU 2-1
Last Meeting:10/18/14, MSU 2-0
Last PSU Win:10/20/13, 2-1 (OT)
Last MSU Win:10/18/14, 2-0
Largest PSU Win:5-0, 11/5/1992
Largest MSU Win:3-1, 11/9/2012; 2-0, 10/18/2014
B1G TOURNEY CAMPAIGN BEGINS SUNDAY
Penn State opens the 2014 Big Ten Tournament on Sunday as the No. 4 seed against fifth-seeded Michigan State at 1 p.m. on Jeffrey Field. The Nittany Lions face the Spartans for the second time in three tournaments.
The Nittany Lions tied for second in the regular season, a point behind first-place Maryland, with Ohio State (No. 2 seed) and Northwestern (No. 3 seed). Penn State is 5-1-2 at Jeffrey Field in the Big Ten Tournament.
NEW B1G TOURNEY FORMAT FOR 2014
The Big Ten Tournament has taken a new format in 2014 now that the conference has nine teams. All nine teams qualify for the event and the quarterfinal rounds are at home hosted by the top four seeds. The eight and nine seeds (Rutgers and Wisconsin, respectively) play on Saturday, Nov. 8 at the site of the No. 1 seed, Maryland.
The best team remaining following the quarterfinal round will host the semifinals and final next weekend (Friday, Nov. 14 and Sunday, Nov. 16).
B1G TOURNAMENT HISTORY vs. MSU
Penn State is a No. 4 seed for the ninth time, holding a 12-4-3 record as such. The Nittany Lions will play Michigan State for the 10th time in the tournament (6-2-1). Last time the two teams met it, Michigan State, a No. 4 seed, upset top-seeded Penn State in the 2012 tournament en route to the title.
The past two winners of the No. 4 vs. No. 5 game has gone on to win the Big Ten Tournament (No. 4 MSU in 2012, No. 5 Indiana in 2013. The last time Penn State was seeded fourth it made it to the final, but lost to third-seeded Michigan in 2010.
COMMON ENEMIES
Penn State and Michigan State have nine common opponents this season, seven of which are from the Big Ten Conference.
In non-conference play, Penn State went 2-0-0 against Oakland (1-0 on Aug. 29) and Akron (1-0 on Nov. 5), while Michigan State went 1-1-0 against those same two teams (2-0 loss at Oakland on Oct. 22; 1-0 win over Akron on Oct. 7).
In Big Ten play, Michigan State defeated Maryland, 1-0 (Penn State lost, 4-0), Wisconsin, 2-1 (PSU won, 2-1), and Indiana, 3-2 (PSU won, 1-0). Penn State was able to beat Rutgers, 1-0 (MSU drew, 1-1), Ohio State, 1-0 (MSU lost, 3-2) and Michigan, 1-0 (MSU lost, 3-2). Neither team was able to beat Northwestern (PSU lost, 2-1; MSU drew, 1-1).
YOU AGAIN?
Two first-half goals with the wind at their backs were all the Spartans needed on Oct. 18 at Jeffrey Field in a 2-0 win. Michigan State out-shot Penn State, 6-4, scoring twice in a five-minute span through Jason Stacy and Jay Chapman in the game's first 25 minutes.
Nevertheless, Penn State dominated the second half, registering all eight shots and all nine corner kicks, but couldn't find the back of the net. Penn State and Michigan State have traded victories over the past six meetings dating back to 2010.
NITTANY LIONS ZAP THE ZIPS
No. 23 Penn State used an 81st minute strike by Mikey Minutillo to defeat Akron, 1-0, on Wednesday night (Nov. 5) at Jeffrey Field. Minutillo's seventh goal of the year, and Andrew Wolverton's five saves, gave PSU its first win over the Zips in a decade.
Following a first half that saw Penn State (12-4-1) dominate possession, chances, shots (6-3) and corner kicks (3-2), it was Akron (11-5-1) that pushed the pace in the second half. The Zips held advantages in shots (10-4) and corner kicks (4-0), but it was PSU who would tally the game-winning goal.
In the 81st, Brandon Savino and Riley Grant stripped the ball from an Akron player at midfield. Savino took a couple touches and sent a long ball into the corner of the penalty area for Riley.
Grant one-timed a cross to the near post as Minutillo nodded a ball over Akron goalie Jake Fenlason (four saves) into the top right corner of the net. The assist was the second of the Akron transfer's career as the Nittany Lions celebrated.
The Zips would press and create several chances to equalize that required diving saves from Wolverton. In the 88th, Sean Sepe took a through ball on the right wing and launched a shot seemingly destined for the back of the net, but Wolverton dove to his right and pushed it away in impressive fashion.
Less than a minute later, Stuart Holthusen had a golden opportunity from 10 yards out on a short pass from the left wing, but Wolverton stood tall and made his fifth save of the night to earn his ninth shutout of the season. Wolverton now holds 31 clean sheets in his Penn State career.
JEFFREY FIELD DOMINANCE
Penn State has enjoyed success at Jeffrey Field with over 300 victories at the famed field. Impressively, the Nittany Lions have never posted a losing season at Jeffrey Field, going 315-80-34 all-time for a winning percentage of .776. Last season, PSU went 8-1-1 and since 2012 the Nittany Lions are 24-5-3 (.820) with a pair of Big Ten titles. Penn State is 9-2-0 this year at home and 17-3-1 the past two seasons.
JEFFREY FIELD FAITHFUL
In the 42-year history of the stadium, Jeffrey Field has welcomed 531,829 fans through its gates, including a season-high 4,052 in a 1-0 win over Temple (Sept. 5). PSU welcomed 5,944 fans on opening weekend in wins over Oakland and St. John's, while nearly 2,000 saw Penn State defeat Ohio State. PSU's 1-0 win over Rutgers had 2,532 fans on hand, which was the fourth-highest total of the season. Against Michigan State, 1,878 fans braved cool, wet conditions to cheer on the Nittany Lions. Penn State is averaging 1,904 fans per game in 11 contests with 20,946 fans coming to Jeffrey this year. The average of 1,904 fans is the most since 1978 when PSU saw 1,910 patrons see the Nittany Lions play on average.
STINGY HOME DEFENSE
After a three-game stretch where Penn State was unable to keep its opponents out of the back of the net, the Nittany Lions pitched their first shutout since Oct. 4, beating Akron, 1-0.
At Jeffrey Field, senior goalkeeper Andrew Wolverton has allowed just 15 goals in 2,139 minutes of action since the beginning of 2013 (0.63 GAA), collecting 64 saves through those 21 home games (17-3-1).
WOLVIE WATCH 2014
The Nittany Lions feature one of the top goalkeepers in the nation with senior Andrew Wolverton patrolling the goal area. The 2013 Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year and NSCAA All-Great Lakes First Team honoree has returned with a pair of career Penn State records in his sights, one of which was achieved Sept. 28 at Michigan.
Wolverton currently sits first in PSU records in goals-against average (0.78) and shutouts (32). Already the single-season record holder in shutouts (12 in 2012), Wolverton eclipsed the career record in front of his family on Sunday, Sept. 28 with a clean sheet against Michigan.
As for GAA, Wolverton looks to break Whit Gibson's mark of 0.78 set during his two seasons in Happy Valley (1998-99). Wolverton's save percentage is also impressive at .796 to back up a 37-21-8 career record in net.
This season, Wolverton has racked up shutout streaks of 321 minutes, 22 seconds and 517 minutes, 42 seconds. The latter streak was to open the season as Wolverton was the final starting goalkeeper in Division I to allow a goal, which occurred on Sept. 24. He is 11-4-0 this season with nine shutouts.
IN THE RANKINGS
Despite a recent skid that saw Penn State drop four of five matches, Penn State has remained in the NSCAA Top 25 at No. 23. That ranking could rise with a positive result on Sunday against Michigan State, coupled with Wednesday's win over Akron, who was receiving votes this past week. Penn State reached a high of No. 3 earlier this season after starting the season 10-0-1.
AMONG THE CONFERENCE'S BEST
Penn State has been near the top of the conference charts in multiple statistical categories this season.
Team Ranks
Shots:2nd (252)
Points:3rd (80)
Goals:3rd (26)
Assists:3rd (28)
Goals Allowed:T-2nd (14)
Shutouts:T-1st (10)
Corner Kicks:3rd (100)
Brian James Ranks
Assists:T-1st (7)
Connor Maloney Ranks
Goals:1st (9)
Points:1st (21)
Game-Winners:1st (5)
Mikey Minutillo Ranks
Shots:2nd (56)
Goals:5th (7)
Assists:T-7th (4)
Points:T-4th (18)
Game-Winners:T-3rd (3)
Andrew Wolverton Ranks
Shutouts:T-1st (9)
GAA:3rd (0.81)
Save Pct.:4th (.803)
COACHING CLOUT
Among the elite coaches in the sport for the last three decades, head coach Bob Warming is back for his fifth season at Penn State. Warming has an incredible coaching pedigree, including 440 career Division I victories -- third all-time among active DI coaches and ninth 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.
At Penn State, Warming picked up win No. 50 as the Lions won 3-0 over Saint Francis on Tuesday, Sept. 16. He is 57-32-11 at Penn State.
`CATS DENY THIRD STRAIGHT B1G TITLE
Only 100 seconds away from its third straight Big Ten title, Penn State conceded a goal in double overtime to fall at Northwestern, 2-1, on Sunday, Nov. 2, when it needed just a single point. Mike Roberge took a flicked-on header from Elo Ozumba, split the PSU defense and scored his third of the year.
Mikey Minutillo registered his sixth goal of the year in the 38th minute as his penalty kick and subsequent rebound were saved by Tyler Miller, who couldn't stop the third Minutillo effort. Eric Weberman scored in the 15th minute to put NU ahead early.
BIG TEN NETWORK SCHEDULE
Penn State is scheduled to be featured on the Big Ten Network at least three times this season. PSU's first nationally-televised game was Sept. 28 at Michigan (a 1-0 PSU win). Penn State traveled to preseason Big Ten top-pick Maryland on Oct. 12 for another BTN telecast, falling in College Park. On Oct. 26, Penn State played Wisconsin in a 2-1 Senior Day thriller. Should Penn State advance, the Big Ten Tournament semifinal match would air live on Friday, Nov. 14 at 1 p.m. Last season, PSU was on the network three times.
NEXT TIME OUT
Should Penn State advance to the Big Ten Semifinals, the Nittany Lions will play the winner of Maryland vs. Rutgers/Wisconsin. If it's against Maryland, the game will be played in College Park, but should the Terps lose, the site could be Columbus, Evanston or University Park.
If Penn State fails to advance, the Nittany Lions will have to wait for their NCAA Tournament placement. The selection show is slated for Monday, Nov. 17 at Noon. First round games are scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 20 and second round contests are slated for Sunday, Nov. 23.