For the second time in a week the Penn State men's soccer team met disappointment in the final five minutes.
A week after losing the Big Ten championship in the final minute, the Nittay Lions fell in the 86th minute of Sunday's NCAA tournament second-round showdown with Maryland, as Terrapin forward Jason Herrick ended the Lions' season to the jumping and smiling of Maryland student-fans who had traveled from College Park, Md.
Penn State coach Barry Gorman found words hard to come by in addressing his team after the 2-1 loss.
"You say keep your head up," Gorman said. "They're young. Coaching staffs get older, and they've seen it before. It doesn't get any easier."
Lion defenseman Brian Forgue scored the only Penn State goal on his first collegiate shot. Fellow defender Andres Casais booted a free kick about 15 yards from midfield, and the ball flew over a huddled mass of Penn State and Maryland players who were attempting to head the ball. Forgue was the only one successful at an attempt as he made contact near the far post. The goal tied the game at one in the 49th minute.
The first goal of the game developed off Terrapin Drew Yates' assist in the 25th minute. Maryland forward Billy Cortes was left alone at the far post and accepted Yates' pass with plenty of room to work. He shot a dribbler to the right side of the net for a 1-0 lead.
Despite a 1-0 advantage at the midway point, Maryland coach Sasho Cirovski told his players at halftime to keep the same aggression level moving forward into the second half. Cirovski said Maryland isn't a team that plays well when sitting back, and so, an attacking approach was the best one for his team.
Maryland was 10-0 this season when taking a 1-0 lead, and the Lions were 0-5-1 when giving up the first goal.
"Any time you score first in the NCAA tournament, it's a huge advantage," Cirovski said, "much more so than in the regular season."
Penn State defenseman Patrick Krispin didn't attend the game because of sickness. Cramps plagued defensemen Justin Lee and Forgue during the game, and starter Andy Parr didn't play because of a medial collateral ligament (MCL) sprain he suffered during the Big Ten tournament.
Despite the final score, Penn State controlled most of the game. The Lions out-shot Maryland 17-10 and had more shots on goal with a seven-to-five advantage, but they were unable to capitalize on most of their opportunities.
Seniors Jason Yeisley and Frank Costigliola were not available for comment after the game, while juniors Andres Casais and Drew Cost sat sullen-faced and teary-eyed in the press tent. Casais said the Lions now have to prepare for next year and saw the NCAA tournament appearance as something for the team to build off of.
"Coach keeps telling us that this game is a knife's edge, and today didn't fall," Casais said. "We have to tighten on stuff to make it fall the other way - to our way."
