Oct. 10, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State men's soccer looks to continue its winning ways in Big Ten play when Michigan visits Jeffrey Field for an 8 p.m. Friday night clash. Admission and parking is free to the match, which will start following the Homecoming Parade.
| PENN STATE (7-3-1, 2-0-0 Big Ten) vs. MICHIGAN (4-3-3, 1-1-0 Big Ten) | |
| Match 12: Oct. 11, 2013 • 8:00 p.m. • Jeffrey Field • University Park, Pa. | |
| VENUE | Jeffrey Field (5,000; Grass) |
| LIVE STATS | |
| SERIES RECORD vs. UM | Penn State leads 9-6-2 |
| LAST MEETING vs. UM | Oct. 6, 2012; T, 1-1 (2OT) at UM |
| NEXT MATCH | Oct. 20 at Michigan State, 2:30 p.m. |
| Penn State Game Notes | |
MATCH STORIES
• Nittany Lions welcome the Wolverines for Friday night Homecoming match
• Penn State looks to snap four-game winless streak vs. Michigan
• PSU took down the defending NCAA champ Indiana with first shutout in Bloomington
• Andrew Wolverton earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for five saves at IU
• Jordan Tyler and Owen Griffith supplied the goals in the win over the Hoosiers
• Grant Warming assisted both goals against Indiana
• Michigan has won past two matches over WMU and Ohio State
• Penn State's defense has been tough to crack at Jeffrey Field this year
PROMOTIONS
The first 1,000 fans will receive coupons courtesy of Dunkin' Donuts. Also, Penn State students with valid ID will receive Penn State Soccer water bottles, while supplies last.
PARKING NOTICE
With the Homecoming Parade commencing at 6 p.m., Curtin Road will be closed beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Friday evening. Fans can still park for free in the Beaver Stadium West lot accessed from Park Avenue and in the grass lot south of Jeffrey Field accessed from University Drive. Fans are reminded that the overnight parking ban goes into effect at midnight.
ABOUT THE WOLVERINES
The Wolverines (4-3-3, 1-1-0 Big Ten) enter this evening's match winners of back-to-back contests, defeating Western Michigan 3-1 and then shutting out their arch-rival Ohio State 1-0. Michigan is a strong defensive squad, allowing no more than one goal in seven of its ten matches. The only team to find the back of the net three times against the UM defense has been No. 2 Notre Dame.
Offensively, the Maize and Blue areled by James Murphy, who comes into tonight's showdown with eight points off three goals and two assists. Joining Murphy in the attack is TJ VanSlooten, as the junior has also found the back of the net three times in 2013. Goalkeeper Adam Grinwis is enjoying a recent run of form, recording two shutouts in the team's last four matches. Grinwis is allowing just 1.12 goals per contest.
SERIES HISTORY vs. UM
All-Time Series: Penn State leads 9-6-2
PSU Streak: 1 draw
First Meeting: 9/23/2000, PSU 2-1 (OT)
Last Meeting: 10/6/2012, T 1-1 (2OT)
Last PSU Win: 11/12/2009, 1-0 (OT)
Last UM Win: 10/1/2011, 2-1
Largest PSU Win: 4-0, 9/9/2001
Largest UM Win: 4-1, 11/14/2010
LAST THREE MEETINGS vs. UM
10/6/2012: T, 1-1 (2OT) - A
10/1/2011: L, 2-1 - H
11/14/2010: L, 4-1 - H
LIONS KNOCK OFF INDIANA
Jordan Tyler and Owen Griffith tallied first-half goals and Andrew Wolverton made five critical saves in Penn State's historic 2-0 win at Indiana on Sunday, Oct. 6. Penn State posted its first shutout at Armstrong Stadium in program history and first victory in Bloomington since 2005.
In the 15th minute, Grant Warming toe-poked a pass Connor Maloney down the right wing. Maloney was able to race to the end line and get his cross to the top of the six-yard area as Tyler slotted it home past IU goalkeeper Michael Soderlung (three saves). The goal was Tyler's second of the season, while Warming and Maloney picked up their first and fourth assists of the season, respectively.
Warming was again in the midst of Penn State's offense 10 minutes later as he sent a pass off an Indiana defender to Griffith, who one touched to his right foot and lofted an 18-yard shot into the upper right corner of the goal for a 2-0 lead. The two-assist game was the first for Warming in his career for the Blue and White.
Griffith's first goal of the year provided Penn State's first two-goal game against the Hoosiers since a 2-1 win in the 2010 Big Ten Tournament at Jeffrey Field. That game also represented the last time PSU defeated Indiana as the series now stands at 12-29-1 all-time in favor of IU.
Andrew Wolverton was put to work most of the game, stopping a point-blank Patrick Doody effort in the 44th minute and a pushing aside AJ Corrado's 20-yard blast in the 69th minute. The biggest save came in the 56th minute when Wolverton was able to save Tommy Thompson's penalty kick attempt and stave off any Hoosier momentum.
WOLVERTON NAMED BIG TEN DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Following Sunday's historic shutout of defending NCAA champion Indiana, junior goalkeeper Andrew Wolverton was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Monday.
Wolverton made five saves in the 2-0 win over Indiana including a critical penalty-kick stop of Tommy Thompson in the second half. Wolverton also made a point-blank save near the conclusion of the first half and another sprawling save with 20 minutes remaining on a long-range Hoosier effort. The shutout was Penn State's first at Armstrong Stadium and the first win at Indiana since 2005. For Wolverton, it was his fifth clean sheet and 20th career shutout in blue and white. Wolverton added a save in Wednesday's match against Saint Francis as well. For the week, Wovlerton posted a 0.47 goals-against average with an .857 save percentage in two games.
STINGY HOME DEFENSE
Junior goalkeeper Andrew Wolverton has allowed just 4 goals in 762 minutes of action this season (0.47 GAA), collecting 20 saves through the first seven home games. The Nittany Lions are 5-1-1 at Jeffrey Field this season. The netminder has made a career on clean sheets, posting 20 shutouts in 39 career starts (51.3%). Wolverton set the Penn State single-season record for shutouts as a freshman (12), and is currently fifth on the PSU career shutout list.
STARTING FAST IN THE BIG TEN
The Nittany Lions won their first two Big Ten matches for the first time since 2009 (2-0 vs. Michigan, 1-0 at Michigan State). The last time Penn State won its first three Big Ten matches was 2005 when the Nittany Lions went a perfect 6-0-0 en route to a No. 1 seed and the Big Ten Tournament championship.
LOOKING TO SNAP THE MICHIGAN BLUES
Penn State hasn't defeated the Wolverines since 2009, going 0-3-1. Last year, in a 1-1 tie in Ann Arbor, Penn State broke a three-game losing streak to Michigan. Penn State's last victory over UM was Nov. 12, 2009 at Indiana in a 1-0 overtime match during the Big Ten Tournament.
