Wadid Secures Another Victory
Entering Sunday’s matchup against in-state rival Duquesne, the Penn State Men’s soccer team (3-2-1) had allowed just one goal in 380 minutes on home turf this season. That one goal came from the 1-1 tie against top-ranked Cal on September 13th. The result of Sunday’s 1 p.m. kickoff against Duquesne closely aligned with the recent success of the team. Indeed, on Tuesday evening, the men’s team shut out Robert Morris with freshman Mark Wadid scoring the lone goal, his second game-winner of the season. Wadid found similar success on Sunday evening, when Penn State emerged with a 1-0 victory, just as they did last year against Duquesne.
Image courtesy of gopsusports.com.
Penn State started the game particularly strong, controlling the play and creating opportunities on offense. Just seven minutes into the game, Nittany Lion junior Owen Griffith (12) took an open shot from about the 18 yard line but the Duke’s keeper was able to make the save. Numerous other scoring opportunities emerged for the Lions, but Penn State was unable to capitalize on the first half chances. Commenting on the physicality of the Dukes, Penn State coach Bob Warming asserted, "We knew it was going to be a hard match with this Duquesne team" (www.gopsusports.com).
Luckily, in the second half, Penn State found the prize they were looking for. Penn State’s Martin Seiler missed a scoring opportunity with his free kick 4 minutes into the half, but had another chance in the 63rd minute. This time, the strength of Duquesne’s keeper became evident and the score remained 0-0. In the 65th minute however, the Lions pulled through as Eli Dennis (4) found Mark Wadid (9) on the attack, sealing the deal for a goal.
Freshman Mark Wadid improves his game-winning goal record from 2 to 3 and Andrew Wolverton improves his career shutout total to 19. Statistics such as these emphasize Penn State’s strengths across the board - from the offensive line all the way back to the keeper. The Nittany Lion’s next matchup will be on Wednesday evening against West Virginia at 7 p.m. in Morgantown, WV.
Image courtesy of gopsusports.com.Penn State started the game particularly strong, controlling the play and creating opportunities on offense. Just seven minutes into the game, Nittany Lion junior Owen Griffith (12) took an open shot from about the 18 yard line but the Duke’s keeper was able to make the save. Numerous other scoring opportunities emerged for the Lions, but Penn State was unable to capitalize on the first half chances. Commenting on the physicality of the Dukes, Penn State coach Bob Warming asserted, "We knew it was going to be a hard match with this Duquesne team" (www.gopsusports.com).
Luckily, in the second half, Penn State found the prize they were looking for. Penn State’s Martin Seiler missed a scoring opportunity with his free kick 4 minutes into the half, but had another chance in the 63rd minute. This time, the strength of Duquesne’s keeper became evident and the score remained 0-0. In the 65th minute however, the Lions pulled through as Eli Dennis (4) found Mark Wadid (9) on the attack, sealing the deal for a goal.
Freshman Mark Wadid improves his game-winning goal record from 2 to 3 and Andrew Wolverton improves his career shutout total to 19. Statistics such as these emphasize Penn State’s strengths across the board - from the offensive line all the way back to the keeper. The Nittany Lion’s next matchup will be on Wednesday evening against West Virginia at 7 p.m. in Morgantown, WV.
