Though it wasn't their last home game, the seniors of the Penn State men's soccer team defended their turf as if they'd never step on the Jeffrey Field grass again.

With emotions running high under the lights Friday night, the Nittany Lions treated a crowd of 2,319 to a remarkable 1-0 upset win against No. 9 Indiana. Though Senior Night was traditionally highlighted with the presentation of the four Penn State upperclassmen on the field before the game, the seniors used the contest itself as a stellar encore.

Each contributed invaluable experience and plays that were vital not only to taking an early lead, but to keeping it.

"It's the best feeling in the world," said senior David Gray, who scored the game's lone goal. "I can't describe it.

This is going to be a memory I'm gonna have with me for the rest of my life."

Only two minutes into the game, Gray headed a pass off of a corner kick from fellow senior Jeff Chambers into the net, almost a carbon copy of a goal he scored last week against Bucknell.

"It means a lot to come out here and get a gutsy performance from our team," Chambers said. "We haven't had many of those this year. It feels f****** good to get on the right track again."

Gray's goal was paramount. Not only did it give the Lions the lead, it brought the home crowd into the game. And with leading scorer Simon Omekanda often marked by multiple Hoosier defenders, Penn State scoring opportunities thereafter were almost nonexistent.

"My body feels tired, but I feel great," Omekanda said. "[Indiana is] the best team in the Big Ten. We'll take a win with them having 85 percent of the possession."

The time of possession discrepancy was rare for Penn State, which almost always wins that battle. Concentrating their efforts on stopping Indiana's offensive chances, Penn State kept its slim lead despite attempting only one shot in the entire second half. It proved to the Lions that they could win close games against top teams, a priceless feeling heading into the Big Ten tournament in two weeks.

"It's a great confidence booster for the guys," head coach Barry Gorman said. "[They had] an extra buzz. They got off to a great start. Credit to the guys that were playing."

Though he provided Penn State's only offense of the game, Gray was shifted back to his natural position late in the game as the Lions switched to a four-man defense, solidifying against a Hoosier attack that was aggressive and fast in the waning minutes.

'They didn't get the clear shots on the goal," senior captain Markku Viitanen said. "We always had some guys pressuring on the ball. That was our big strategy."

Viitanen received raucous applause when he was announced before the game, though his parents weren't present to escort him. Instead, two familiar faces flanked Viitanen. Brian Devlin and David Walters, co-captains of 2005's Big Ten champion team, stood in for Viitanen's folks, who were at home in Finland.

"I called [my parents] this morning, I said 'I need you over here! You have to take me on the field,' " Viitanen said laughing. "I didn't tell them early enough. But I like Brian and David."