Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Penn State
Bucknell Men's Soccer Sees Six-Game Win Streak End at Hands of Penn State, 2-1
10/21/2009 8:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 21, 2009
| Highlights
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell freshman CK Kumah (Accra, Ghana/The Hotchkiss School) scored a tying goal in the second half, but less than four minutes later Corey Hertzog answered for Penn State, and the Nittany Lions made it hold up en route to a 2-1 verdict in an entertaining match at Emmitt Field at Holmes Stadium on Wednesday night.
The loss was just the fourth of the season for Bucknell (11-4), which saw its six-game winning streak come to an end. Penn State, which is ranked No. 22 in the College Soccer News poll, improved to 9-4-2 and avenged a 2-0 loss to the Bison last season in State College.
Penn State controlled the run of play for most of the first half and took a 1-0 lead on a fortunate bounce after Hertzog sent a long throw-in toward the Bison net. The ball missed the head of a streaking Jason Yeisley and caromed off a Bucknell player's head into the upper right corner of the goal. The Nittany Lions parlayed the own goal into a 1-0 halftime lead, despite some good chances for Bucknell late in the half.
Conor O'Brien (Mt. Sinai, N.Y./St. Anthony's) had a good look at a header in front with 14 minutes left in the first half, but Warren Gross made a diving save to his right to keep it out. Inside three minutes left in the half, Bucknell waged a flurry in front, but one shot was cleared off the line by a Lions defender and a follow-up was corralled by Gross.
Bucknell came out flying in front of its large crowd in the second half, and the Bison tied it on a well-orchestrated play in the 52nd minute. O'Brien slipped a pass to Luke Joyner (Dallas, Texas/J.J. Pearce) in the middle of the field, and Joyner touched it out ride to Kumah on the right side. Kumah took one touch back inside and ripped a left-footed shot that just grazed the near post and went in.
The crowd was still buzzing from Kumah's fourth goal of the year when Penn State countered right back. Andy Parr sent a long pass from midfield down the left flank. Yeisley dummied it by and Hertzog gathered, juked and fired a left-footed shot through the legs of a defender. Bison keeper Tommy Caso (Phoenix, Md./McDonogh) may have been fooled as the ball grazed the instep of his defender on the way by, and the ball skipped into the right side of the net.
Bucknell had three good scoring chances in the final 16 minutes as it scrambled to get the game tied. First, Sean King (Medford, N.J./Shawnee) sent a low blast from 25 yards out through traffic, and Gross dove to his left at the last minute and got his mitts on it.
With 4:20 remaining, Penn State's big center back Mark Fertow was standing on the goal line when he knocked down Joyner's 12-yard shot with his chest. Two minutes later Ross Liberati (Warwick, Md./Tower Hill) sent a nifty feed into the box for O'Brien, who had a wonderful look but sent his shot just over the bar.
Three of Bucknell's four losses this season have come by a single goal. The six-game winning streak was Bucknell's longest since 1983, and the Bison were aiming for their first seven-game streak since 1976.
Bucknell did extend its national-best 19-game scoring streak to 20 with Kumah's goal. Kumah, this week's Patriot League Rookie of the Week, now has three goals in his last four games.
Penn State finished with an 18-17 shot advantage, while Bucknell had the edge in corner kicks 5-2. It was a physical game with plenty of bodies flying, but the foul total was low with eight against Penn State and six on the Bison.
Caso finished with five saves for Bucknell, while Gross had six for the Lions.
Bucknell returns to Patriot League play this weekend with a tough road test at Colgate. The Bison and Raiders will meet in Hamilton, N.Y., on Saturday at 7 p.m.
