| PENN STATE vs. No. 23 AKRON | | | | 6-6-1 (3-3-0 B1G) | 7-4-1 (2-0-0 MAC) |
| Tuesday, Oct. 18 | 7 p.m. | | Jeffrey Field | University Park, Pa. | | Promotions |
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Oct. 17, 2016
PENN STATE SET FOR NO. 23 AKRON
The Penn State men's soccer team welcomes the No. 23 Akron Zips for its second-straight top-20 opponent Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. The match will mark the fifth top-20 team that the Nittany Lions have taken on this season as they are looking for their second-straight victory over a nationally-ranked foe after defeating No. 19 Michigan State 1-0 in double overtime, Oct. 15. The match will also feature a special halftime presentation to honor former men's soccer player Brett Gravatt and all Ability Athletes.
HOW TO WATCH
For fans who cannot make it out to Jeffrey Field on Tuesday night, the match will be live on BTN starting at 7 p.m. Live stats are also available on GoPSUSports.com.
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 in 43 years, going 326-85-35 all-time for a winning percentage of .771. This season, PSU is 6-2-0 at the Jeff and over the past four seasons the Nittany Lions are 33-10-4 en route to a pair of Big Ten titles in 2012 and 2013. In the 43-year history of the stadium, Jeffrey Field has welcomed over 540,000 fans through its gates.
SERIES HISTORY WITH THE ZIPS
Akron leads the all-time series 17-14-5 after taking the 1-0 victory at home in the 2015 season. In the last five seasons, the Zips have won four matches, while Penn State picked up its last victory in the 2014 campaign with a 1-0 win at Jeffrey Field.
SCOUTING AKRON
Akron comes into the Tuesday night non-conference match with a 7-4-1 record, most recently winning a 7-0 contest against Northern Illinois in Mid-American Conference play. The Zips have scored two-or-more goals in six matches this season and have had seven shutout wins.
Akron is paced by Adam Najem, who has tallied 12 points with five goals and three assists, while Skye Harter and Brad Ruhaak have both found the back of the net on three occasions. Jonathan Lewis has been the prime source for finding the goal scorer with six helpers on the season, while Harter and Najem have each added three to their stat line.
In net, Ben Lundt has been the go-to keeper starting all 12 matches with 14 goals against, 36 saves and six solo shutouts and one combined shutout. Lundt brings a .720 save percentage and a 1.15 goals against average into the match with the Nittany Lions.
TIES TO THE ZIPS
Senior Riley Grant started his collegiate career at Akron before transferring to Penn State after his freshman season. The Copley, Ohio native appeared in 11 games for the Zips including the MAC Tournament Championship game against Western Michigan in 2011.
SAGEL HEADER LIFTS PENN STATE TO VICTORY
With less than two minutes left before the double overtime match with the No. 19 Spartans ended in a draw, senior Robby Sagel headed in the golden goal off a free kick from Riley Grant. The senior defender, who was in on the free kick, found an opening in the box and buried the ball into the lower right corner of the net to secure Penn State's first victory over a ranked opponent this year and third Big Ten Conference win of the season.
SAGEL KEY IN BEATING NATIONALLY-RANKED OPPONENTS
The win over No. 19 Michigan State marked the first time the Nittany Lions have defeated a top 20 opponent since Sept.13, 2015 when they beat then-No. 10 Indiana. Senior Robby Sagel netted the lone goal of the night in the double overtime win over the Spartans. Furthermore, Sagel found the game-winner against Indiana off a corner kick. The two goals are Sagel's only goals donning the Blue and White, having both come against nationally-ranked contenders.
FINNEY RANKED AMONGST NATIONS BEST
Redshirt-junior Evan Finney finds himself amongst the elite in the nation as he ranks fifth with a .876 save percentage and a .501 goals against average. Furthermore, Finney leads the Big Ten Conference in both categories, ranks third in shutouts per game (0.38), fourth in saves per game (3.30) and ties for sixth with three shutouts on the season. This past week Finney shutout both Pittsburgh and No. 19 Michigan State, facing just three shots on the week as the Nittany Lion defense kept opponent offenses away from the net.
COACHING CLOUT
Among the elite coaches in the sport for the last three decades, head coach Bob Warming is back for his seventh season at Penn State. Warming has an incredible coaching pedigree, including 454 career Division I victories -- second all-time among active Division I coaches and ninth all-time at DI. He was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2012 and 2013 after leading PSU to a pair of league titles. Furthermore, Warming leads all Division I active coaches with a 28 combined regular season and conference tournament championships.
BIG TEN NETWORK SCHEDULE
The Nittany Lion men's soccer team will be featured on BTN three times in 2016 starting with the Badgers of Wisconsin Friday, Sept. 23 at 5:30 p.m. at Jeffrey Field. Penn State holds a 16-11-3 advantage over Wisconsin after tying 2-2 in double overtime in the 2015 campaign. The Blue and White will open the month of October in Ann Arbor, Mich. when it takes on the Wolverines in a noon match up Sunday, Oct. 2.
Finally, Penn State will return to the friendly confines of Jeffrey Field for a midweek match against Akron. The Nittany Lions and the Zips will square off at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18 to close outs its BTN slate.
Along with its three BTN matches, the men's soccer team will be featured on BTN Plus on nine occasions in the 2016 campaign starting with its Labor Day match against Oakland at 7 p.m. before closing out the week at Jeffrey Field Friday, Sept. 9 against Saint Francis. The Nittany Lion's BTN Plus slate continues Tuesday, Sept. 13 when they open the Big Ten Conference season against Ohio State at 7 p.m. at Jeffrey Field before hitting the road for a Sunday, Sept. 18 contest at Maryland. Penn State will return home to take on Temple Tuesday, Sept. 27 in a non-conference contest and head to Indiana Saturday, Sept. 8. The Blue and White will play two-straight home matches against Pittsburgh, Oct. 11, and Michigan State, Oct. 15 and close out its BTN Plus schedule in its final regular season match against Northwestern in Evanston, Ill. Sunday, Oct. 30.
NEXT TIME OUT
Penn State continues its five-match homestand with a Friday night Big Ten Conference match against Rutgers. The Nittany Lions and the Scarlet Knights are set to square off Friday, Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. at Jeffrey Field.
