LEWISBURG -- With its 2-1 lead looking shakier and shakier as time wore on in the second half, the Penn State men's soccer team was bailed out thanks to the efforts of goalkeeper Warren Gross.

Gross came up with six saves, several from the ground, to preserve Penn State's nonconference victory Wednesday night at Bucknell.

The Nittany Lions had given up a tying goal to Bucknell's CK Kumah in the 52nd minute, but got back on top just four minutes later thanks to Corey Hertzog. They spent the rest of the game relying on their defense and redshirt sophomore netminder to hold that margin.

Thankfully for coach Barry Gorman and the visitors, Gross was up to the challenge, even after taking a blow to the abdomen in the first half after he controlled a loose corner in the box.

"Kenzie [Arment] saved it off the line and I was able to work back and get the ball," the New York native said of the 33rd minute scrum in front of his goal. "Then the guy came in and kicked me in the ribs late, but it's just the emotions of the game, it's part of it. He apologized after the game. It's just part of the game."

Gross said he already had control of the ball when the Bucknell player made contact with him, but didn't seem to bear any ill will towards the opponent.

In the second half, as the Bison were furiously trying to get back Penn State's second goal and send the game into overtime in front of a vocal crowd at Emmitt Field at Holmes Stadium, Gross made several stops that earned high praise from his coach.

"Credit to Warren, I think he came up with a couple big, world-class saves actually," Gorman said. "If you saw them on a highlight on ESPN and SportsCenter you'd say, 'Boy, that was big-time.' He made a couple of excellent saves on the ground."

His 76th minute diving stop of Bucknell's Sean King was one of those quality efforts. A Bucknell corner had been cleared by the Penn State defense, but the ball came to King at the top of the box. The senior midfielder didn't hesitate, and he thumped the ball along the ground to Gross' left.

Gross displayed his quick reactions and soft hands, as he fully stretched his 6-foot-3 frame and stopped the shot without yielding a dangerous rebound.

Nine minutes later, Gross was again tested on a Bucknell corner. The ball bounded into the penalty area and took several deflections, but eventually sat up in front of goal for a Bucknell shot. Gross, scrambling from his knees, got his hands up and stopped the shot to preserve the win.

"I was just trying to lock onto the ball and keep it out of the net," Gross said. "I'm just trying to do whatever I can to keep it out."

Jason Yeisley, who scored the first goal of the game, noted how Gross has made leads stand up for the team all year.

"All the hard work that he put in all spring, all summer, on his own is really showing in games like this, where we're really pressed towards the end," the senior captain said. "Any ball they put in there he just picks right off. You can't be tall enough for him; there's no player that's going to win the ball in the air on him."