Ohio State
Penn State
Buckeyes Fall to Penn State, 2-0, in Big Ten Tournament – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/9/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Nov. 9, 2011
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The second-seeded Ohio State men’s soccer team’s quest for a fourth Big Ten Tournament title ended in the quarterfinal round to No. 7 seed Penn State, 2-0, Wednesday afternoon at U-M Soccer Complex in Ann Arbor, Mich. The Buckeyes now are 10-7-2 on the season, while the Nittany Lions improve to 8-8-2 and advance to face the winner of three-seed Wisconsin vs. No. 6 seed and host Michigan.
Julian Cardona finished the game with three points, tallying the assist on Matt Smallwood’s goal in the ninth minute before adding one of his own on a penalty kick in the 48th minute.
Smallwood’s goal came early in the ninth minute after Cardona crossed it inside and he was able to connect on the loose ball and send it inside the far post. The Buckeyes produced a few opportunities through the remainder of the period but headed into the intermission trailing 1-0.
Penn State wasted little time adding another out of the break. The Lions earned a penalty kick after Mackenzie Arment was fouled inside the penalty area and Cardona converted on the opportunity for his fourth goal of the year. They then pressed on defense and only one shot was tallied by either team in the 20 minutes following the second goal until a flurry of Buckeyes substitutions allowed the offensive pace to quicken.
Ohio State came up with a handful of chances in the waning minutes of regulation, but Penn State’s goalkeeper Andrew Wolverton tallied four saves in the second half alone, ending the day with five.
Penn State out-shot the Buckeyes 16-11 on the day, despite a 6-4 OSU advantage in the second half.
Ohio State now awaits its fate in the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA Selection Show is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Nov. 14 on NCAA.com. If the Buckeyes make the field for a fifth-consecutive season, complete information will be available on OhioStateBuckeyes.com.
