November 16, 2009
SEVENTH SEED
Nittany Lions enter NCAA Tourney in 2nd round

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. –Penn State (12-7-2) was awarded a seventh seed and earned a first round bye for the 2009 NCAA Men's Soccer Championship. The Nittany Lions will face the winner of the Loyola (Md.)-Maryland match-up on Sun., Nov. 22 at 1 p.m. at Jeffrey Field.

“It’s been three years in the wilderness,” said head coach Barry Gorman. “But this is just rewards for the year that this team has had. They earned a seventh seed, so hats off to them.”

Penn State is coming off a strong showing at the 2009 Big Ten Tournament, advancing to the title game after beating Michigan (1-0) and Michigan State (3-0) on back-to-back days. The Nittany Lions fell to Ohio State, 1-0, in the championship contest in heartbreaking fashion, surrendering a goal in the final minute of regulation time. Sophomore forward Corey Hertzog (Reading, Pa.), PSU’s leading scorer with 28 points, was named offensive most valuable player of the tournament.

Penn State posted a 7-0-2 record at Jeffrey Field this year, its first undefeated season in University Park since 2000 (7-0-0). The Lions were dominant at home, outscoring opponents by a 24-4 margin.

Defending national champion Maryland (12-5-2), which received an at-large bid, finished fourth in the ACC in 2009. The Terrapins were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament by Virginia (1-0).

Loyola (Md.) (11-7-3) defeated Niagara, 1-0, in double overtime, to claim the 2009 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship and secure the Greyhounds’ their third consecutive NCAA postseason berth.

This year is the Nittany Lions’ first NCAA Championship appearance since 2005, when it was seeded 11th after going undefeated in conference play and capturing its third Big Ten Championship. The Lions downed Seton Hall, 1-0, in the second round before dropping a 3-1 decision to Creighton.

Under Gorman, the Nittany Lions are 10-10-2 in NCAA Championship competition. Overall, the Penn State program possesses a 24-27-1 record in NCAA postseason play.