Live Blog - NCAA Second Round - PSU v. Maryland

By
Collegian Staff
on November 22, 2009 12:35 PM | | TrackBacks (0)
The final score is 2-1 Maryland. Check back to the Collegian Web site for stories on the game.
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Substitution: Braga for Lee. Lee cramped up again. 2 minutes left
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A cross from Terrapin Billy Cortes hits off Jason Herrick's head for a goal. Warren Gross left the net to play the ball but was too late. 2-1 Maryland with 3 minutes left
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After kicking the ball for the clear, Brian Forgue grabs the back of his knee and screams as he falls to the ground. It appears to be cramps as Fetrow helps stretch the cramped leg.  Lee will substitute for Forgue. 4 minutes left
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Lee limps off the field. Cramps have plagued him all season. Smallwood replaces Lee. Arment substitutes for Braga. 6 minutes left
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A Maryland opportunity results in no goal. An uncontested Maryland shot is blocked after a cross from the left side. 7 minutes left
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Hertzog feeds Costigliola down the wing. Costigliola centers it back into the box for Hertzog. Hertzog's shot hits off a Maryland defender, and Yeisley pleads to the referee for a hand-ball call. 11 minutes left
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Substitutions: Cost for Arment and Hertzog for Gelsinger -- 18 minutes left
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Lions squander a set piece. Braga passed to Arment near the corner, but Arment's kick hits off a Maryland player, and the Terrapins gain control.
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A lot of inaction as the ball bounces around in the midfield. Mackenzie Arment substitutes for Drew Cost 25 minutes left.
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Hertzog's throw-in is headed by Yeisley but cleared before another Penn State attempt could be made. 33 minutes left
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Yeisley trips over a referee's foot and falls to the ground after he leads Braga down the wing. The pass didn't amount to an opportunity. 35 minutes left
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Casais serves the ball about 15 yards from midfield. It sailed over the huddled mass of Penn State and Maryland players and to the head of Brian Forgue, who bats it to the back of the net. It was Forgue's first collegiate shot. 1-1 with 41 minutes to play.
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Isang Jacob throws his hands up in an attempt to pump up the Penn State crowd to start the second half.
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Other NCAA second-round scores:

2-0 Duke over Michigan State in first half.
0-0 Ohio State versus Drake at halftime.
4-0 Virginia over Bucknell at halftime.
1-0 Portland over NC State at halftime.
1-0 Harvard over Monmouth at halftime.
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This is Collegian writer Brendan Monahan. I'll be covering the second half. Here are the first half stats:

Shots
Maryland 5
Penn State 10

Corners
Maryland 2
Penn State 3

Saves
Maryland 4
Penn State 2

Fouls
Maryland 9
Penn State 16
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Penn State had another chance to score with two minutes to go. Yeisley led Hertzog up and across the field, and Hertzog came in on goal from the left side. However, his first and second attempts were both stuffed by MacMath and Maryland was able to clear.

That will do it for the half with Maryland ahead 1-0.

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Barry Gorman, for the first time I can remember all season, is agitated enough with the officiating that he has some words with the head official. Penn State has been whistled for about twice as many fouls as Maryland at this point. 

Five minutes left in the half.

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With just under eight minutes left in the half, Brian Forgue serves a nice free kick into the box, but no Penn Stater can get to it and MacMath cleans it up for Maryland.

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Penn State thought they had a goal, as Matheus Braga's cross found Corey Hertzog and Hertzog scored. However, officials ruled a handball on Hertzog, so no goal. 16:30 to go in the half.

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Maryland opens the scoring with 20:41 left in the half. Drew Yates cruises through the middle of the Nittany Lion defense and then leads Billy Cortes off to the left. Cortes fires the ball past gross into the far side of the net for the 1-0 lead.

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Penn State had the best chance of the day at the 24-minute mark. Drew Cost passed from the right wing to Braga on the left wing, and Braga perfectly led Hertzog into the box. Hertzog's shot beat MacMath, but it was cleared off the line by a Terp defender.

Cost had another chance 40 seconds later after splitting two defenders at the top of the box, but his shot to the far post went just wide.

21:30 left in the half, 0-0.

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Andres Casais makes a trademark sliding tackle to dispossess Casey Townsend. Townsend stays down after the hit, but looks like he'll run it off and stay in.

26 minutes left in the half.

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Maryland has a chance after a corner, but Ethan White's shot is saved nicely and held by Gross. Penn State comes back the other way, but Yeisley's soft header goes over the goal. 16 minutes gone.

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With 14 minutes gone, the Lion has arrived. Warren Gross is forced to make a play on a long Maryland free kick, he drops the ball initially but picks it up quickly to end the chance.

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Another chance for Hertzog, as he beat his mark to a through ball. MacMath came out of the net and forced him to play the ball early, and his shot went wide.

13 minutes in and still no score.

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An impressive performance thus far by the Maryland students. They are well coordinated and loud.

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Corey Hertzog won the ball nicely to himself in the offensive half and then was run over by a Maryland defender to win Penn State a 30-yard free kick. It turns into a shot for Frank Costigliola that's deflected and saved easily by Maryland keeper Zac MacMath.

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About 25 dedicated Maryland students have made the three-hour trek north to State College and have formed a rowdy student section at the south end of the east stands.

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Jason Yeisley has an impact early, sending a cross from the right wing into the box that Corey Hertzog gets his head on, but the sophomore sends the ball over the goal.

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We're ready to start the game here after the national anthem plays. Penn State goes right to left and Maryland goes left to right for the first half and will take the ball to start.

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Penn State is starting Justin Lee, Mark Fetrow, Andres Casais and Brian Forgue along the back line. Matt Smallwood, Drew Cost, Matheus Braga and Frank Costigliola will man the midfield with Yeisley and Hertzog up front. Warren Gross will start his 22nd game in goal.

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Penn State will wear its all-white home kit, while Maryland is sporting some crisp red jerseys with white shorts and red socks.

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Teams have cleared the field now in preparation for player intros. 11 minutes to kickoff.

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Good afternoon. Ben Skalina here to open up the live blog for Penn State's NCAA tournament second-round match against Maryland. State, seeded seventh, had a bye to the second round, while the Terrapins beat Loyola (Md.) Thursday to advance to this game.

Temperature is currently a breezy 45 degrees. Both teams are currently warming up. It appears Andy Parr will miss today's game with his right MCL sprain suffered in last Thursday's Big Ten tournament opener against Michigan.

Penn State enters the game with a 12-7-2 record. The Terps have a 13-5-2 record after Thursday's game and are defending national champions. Penn State is in its first NCAA tournament since 2005.

Expect the Terrapins to lean on junior captain Jason Herrick, who leads the team with eight goals. The Nittany Lions, of course, count on the dangerous trio of Jason Yeisley, Corey Hertzog and Matheus Braga, who have eight, 11 and seven goals respectively.

Maryland also plays outstanding defense. Despite having to replace all four defensive starters from 2008, the Terrapins have surrendered just 15 goals this year -- 0.75 per game.

Tournament Scene

By
Collegian Staff
on November 19, 2009 9:06 PM | | TrackBacks (0)
The Nittany Lions will host Maryland in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Terrapins defeated Loyola (Md.) 2-1 on Thursday. Maryland ranks No. 7 in the latest NSCAA poll while Penn State received no rank.

Instead of Maryland, it was the Lions who received the first-round bye in the NCAA Tournament and the No. 7 tournament ranking. Whereas the NSCAA has six ACC teams and two Big Ten squads in the top 25, the NCAA Tournament gave byes to four teams in both conferences -- giving the Big Ten more respect. Here is how the rankings stack:

NCAA Tournament

Big Ten
No. 4 Ohio State
No. 7 Penn State
No. 9 Northwestern
No. 14 Michigan State
Not Ranked: Indiana

ACC
No. 2 Virginia
No. 3 Wake Forest
No. 5 North Carolina
No. 15 NC State
Not Ranked: Boston College, Maryland and Duke


NSCAA

Big Ten
No. 13 Ohio State
No. 21 Northwestern

ACC
No.2 Wake Forest
No. 3 Virginia
No. 4 North Carolina
No. 7 Maryland
No. 15 NC State
No. 20 Duke

So far today, the Big Ten is 1-0 with Indiana defeating Louisville 2-0. Boston College defeated Dartmouth 2-1, Maryland beat Loyola (Md.) 2-1 and Duke took down Winthrop 3-2. That makes the ACC 3-0 in tournament play. The second round will mark the first time the conferences go head-to-head in the tournament with the Penn State-Maryland showdown and Michigan State hosting Duke.

-Monahan

Yeisley- Academic All-American

By
Collegian Staff
on November 18, 2009 8:08 PM | | TrackBacks (0)
ESPN The Magazine named Jason Yeisley an Academic All-America First Team selection. Yeisley has a 3.61 cumulative grade point average and seeks a Business Management degree. He will also graduate after this semester.

This is one of several awards which Yeisley received this year. Yeisley won Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, garnered an All-Big Ten First Team selection, took the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award for Penn State and received the True Grit Award. Yeisley is in the running for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award and one of the NCAA Today's Top VIII Awards.

-Monahan

Correa shows selflessness

By
Collegian Staff
on November 17, 2009 9:16 PM | | TrackBacks (0)
Adding to my article on Diego Correa tomorrow, here is a clip which is not mentioned in the story:

Correa, as a senior, remained in Happy Valley when the team played rival Ohio State because Penn State could not take every player to Columbus, Ohio for the October game.

Penn State coach Barry Gorman usually leaves five players behind, and for the Ohio State trip, more forwards than midfielders traveled. It was the first time this year the senior was asked to stay home. Matheus Braga recalled the Ohio State trip and talking to Correa after the Lions' 2-1 loss.

"He was like, 'I feel really bad because you guys lost. I want the team to win,' " Braga said. " 'I wanted to be there to have the team win even if I was on the bench.' "

This didn't stop Correa from following the game's live stats feed on the Internet or receiving text messages from the coaches and players.

"It's tough because you want to be with the team," Correa said. "You want to be a part of every single game and help out as much as you can so you can contribute to the success of the team. But, you have to understand also that not everyone can travel."

-Monahan

Lineup changes

By
Collegian Staff
on November 15, 2009 7:12 PM | | TrackBacks (0)
Penn State coach Barry Gorman said Matt Smallwood started over Mackenzie Arment and Vince Salvatico because of his good play as of late. Smallwood also added a defensive prowess in the middle of the field, but Gorman said defense wasn't the sole purpose of Smallwood starting and tallying increased playing time.

With Smallwood at the center-midfield position, Drew Cost moved to the outside. Gorman stated Cost didn't play as a typical winger such as Matheus Braga, Arment and Salvatico do. Cost crossed the ball to Yeisley on two plays Sunday but still maintained a more central position than a typical outside midfielder. When Arment substituted for Smallwood, Cost moved to his usual center-midfield position.

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In other news, Gorman said Andy Parr's sprained MCL will be evaluated by an orthopedic surgeon tomorrow. His status is unknown as of now.

-Monahan

Yeisley speaks about accolades

By
Collegian Staff
on November 13, 2009 2:43 PM | | TrackBacks (0)

Jason Yeisley spoke today about receiving the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year honor.

"I wasn't expecting it," Yeisley said. "It's a nice honor, but once again, I look at it as a team award. The guys we have on the team are an outstanding group."

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Yeisley also noted that Patrick Krispin's goal is on his list as one the best he's seen in his lifetime.

"That shot and Corey's goal against Gonzaga were the top goals this year," Yeisley said. "Their goalkeeper didn't have a chance."

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Yeisley also reacted to recently passing South Florida's Zak Boggs in fan voting for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. Yeisley holds 26.1 percent while Boggs hold 26.0 percent with fan voting ending today.

"My thanks go out to everyone -- everyone who is voting," Yeisley said. "I especially want to thank John Regenfuss, what he's done. He does a lot behind the scenes."

Along with Regenfuss, Yeisley also thanked Tim Curley, Alumni Jeff Maierhofer and Mike Donlon, coaches, family and his Allentown friends for their support and voting.

-Monahan

Krispin's Heroics

By
Collegian Staff
on November 13, 2009 1:44 PM | | TrackBacks (0)

When the Michigan clearing attempt rolled off Patrick Krispin's foot in double overtime on Thursday, the sophomore defender was oblivious to everything around him.

"I was trying to stay focused on getting the shot off," Krispin said. "A couple of the guys actually told me that when they were on the bench, they were screaming for me to not shoot."

But who could blame the bench players for yelling. The shot sailed from 23 yards away with the ball stationed off the ground -- moving from Krispin's chest.

Luckily, Krispin, who suffered a concussion at Indiana last Friday, blocked out the surrounding noises. His cross-field goal meant a 1-0 Nittany Lion win and a matchup against Michigan State in the semifinal today. Krispin, in only his second game back from a left ankle sprain, thought the left-footed kick's quality was one of the best he'd ever taken.

"I felt really lucky," said Krispin, who switched from forward to defender last season. "I remembered what it was like to score again."

Before the play, Krispin stationed his mind on taking the shot if the ball bounced his way. He said he was in a great position and didn't have to adapt drastically to the ball.

There was one thing he did have to adjust to -- the post-game team cluster and Frank Costigliola's celebratory punches.

"He got a little rowdy," Krispin said. "It was all worth it -- all completely worth it."

Krispin remembered seeing assistant coaches Ryan Defibaugh and Isang Jacob join in the bouncing bunch but didn't recall whether head coach Barry Gorman hopped into the player circle.

"I honestly wouldn't know," Krispin said. "We'd have to look at the tape for that."

-Monahan

Yeisley- Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year

By
Collegian Staff
on November 12, 2009 11:57 PM | | TrackBacks (0)

Jason Yeisley won Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year only hours after his Nittany Lions advanced to the second round of the Big Ten Tournament with a 1-0 win over Michigan.

 

Yeisley is second on the Nittany Lions with 21 points and co-leads Penn State with eight goals. The other goal co-leader is sophomore Corey Hertzog. Hertzog and Drew Cost were named Second Team All-Big Team selections while roommates Matheus Braga and Andres Casais were featured on the First Team All-Big Ten along with Yeisley.

 

In addition to the offensive honor, Yeisley garnered the 2009 Big Ten Sportsmanship Award for the Lions. One player on every Big Ten team received the sportsmanship award.

 

The award banquet capped off a thrilling day for the soccer team. The Lions' win over Michigan came off a Patrick Krispin goal in double overtime.

 

The Big Ten Network will air the Penn Stat-Michigan State semifinal showdown Friday at 4:30 pm. The Lions defeated Michigan State 1-0 at East Lansing earlier in the year despite playing a man down for nearly 40 minutes.

 

-Monahan

Wednesday Six Pack: A Day Late With Warren Gross

By
Collegian Staff
on November 12, 2009 5:01 PM | | TrackBacks (0)
We talked to goalkeeper Warren Gross at Tuesday's practice for the Big Ten tournament edition of the Wednesday Six Pack (yes, I know it's Thursday). Here's what the big man in goal had to say.

BKS: Favorite professional soccer player?

WG: I'd probably have to say, right now, Wayne Rooney from Manchester United. That's my favorite team.

BKS: Best FIFA player on the team?

WG: I would say I'm probably the best FIFA player on the team. Treavor and I are really good, so we're probably pretty close to even sometimes. I'd say I get the benefit of the doubt. We play a ton of FIFA. We play 2-v-2 all the time, not as much 1-on-1, we have four controllers so we team up.

BKS: Favorite place to eat downtown?

WG: I like McLanahan's for the breakfest sandwiches, and I'd say the deli sandwiches too. Mclanahan's and an Arnold Palmer (half iced tea, half lemonade).

BKS: Favorite city you've been to?

WG: In the world, Rio (de Janeiro). I've been there twice, with the team last year and a couple years ago (with the under-19 team).

BKS: Best joke you've told:

WG: I can't even remember. I have no idea to be honest. Anything that makes people laugh.

BKS: What's your favorite part of soccer at Penn State?

WG: I'd say everyone on the team. I feel like a lot of teams have kind of cliques, but I feel like on our team we pretty much all come together pretty well. Just the friendships I guess, being on the team and knowing each other for so long.

-Skalina

Big Ten Bracket Breakdown

By
Collegian Staff
on November 9, 2009 12:12 AM | | TrackBacks (0)
With the final weekend of the men's soccer regular season in the books, the Big Ten conference standings are complete and next weekend's conference tournament is set.

Penn State finished tied for second with Northwestern, but the Nittany Lions won the tiebreaker and thus have the second seed. The Wildcats are seeded third.

All the seedings:

1. Ohio State - First-round bye
2. Penn State
3. Northwestern
4. Indiana
5. Wisconsin
6. Michigan State
7. Michigan

So the draw sets up like this:

Ohio State vs. Indiana/Wisconsin winner

Penn State/Michigan winner vs. Northwestern/Michigan State winner

Obviously, the winner of each side of the draw has a spot in the finals.

First-round play is Thursday, semifinals are on Friday and the final match is Sunday.

Penn State has to like their chances of getting through to the title game. They rolled Michigan at home by a 2-0 margin on the first weekend of Big Ten play and beat Michigan State in East Lansing after going down a man in the second half.

Also, they tied Northwestern at home in a game they controlled and probably deserved to win.

Meanwhile, I wouldn't be surprised to see Indiana make a run through to the final on the other side. The tournament is being held in Bloomington, so obviously the Hoosiers will have home-field advantage on every team they play.

There is also no questioning Indiana's talent. The Hoosiers have made 17 College Cups in their 33 NCAA tournament appearances, and they have the talent that that kind of tradition always draws. Their aggressive schedule hurt them in the wins department this year, but three of their eight losses came in overtime, including one to Ohio State, their opponent if they get past Wisconsin in the first round.

Should be a fun weekend out in Bloomington.

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Mug

Ben Skalina is a junior majoring in journalism and a men's soccer reporter for the Collegian. He previously covered student government and the university administration. Ever an athlete, his finest soccer moment was back-to-back goals in the Nether Providence youth league, but his soccer action these days is limited to religiously following the UEFA Champions League and watching "Green Street Hooligans" before a night on the town.


Mug

Brendan Monahan is a junior majoring in English with an Italian minor from Plymouth Meeting, Pa. and a current men's soccer writer for the Collegian. He previously covered women's lacrosse, men's gymnastics, and women's cross country. His only exposure to soccer was as a youngster while playing several years for his township and elementary school. He prides himself in being a future Philadelphia Union fan even though he may end up being the only one.

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