Michigan State University
Penn State
Spartans Rally To Defeat Penn State, 2-1
11/9/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Nov. 9, 2001
MADISON, Wis. - The Michigan State men's soccer team (12-4-1) used two second-half goals to defeat No. 11 Penn State (13-4-1), 2-1, in the semifinals of the 2001 Big Ten Men's Soccer Tournament in Madison, Wis. on Friday evening. With the win, the Spartans advance to the Big Ten Tournament finals on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. ET vs. No. 4 Indiana.
Penn State struck first when Ricardo Villar scored on a penalty kick 15:16 into the game. MSU, who dropped a double-overtime contest to Penn State during the regular season, hung tough and did not allow another goal for the remainder of the contest. Although neither team would score again in the first half, Michigan State gained some momentum as Penn State goalkeeper Ryan Sickman was given a red card in the 40th minute for playing a ball outside the box, giving MSU a man advantage for the rest of the contest.
The Spartans answered quickly in the second half as Steve Arce (Windsor, ONT) scored just under two minutes into the second frame. Brett Konley (Plymouth, Mich.) assisted on the goal at 46:55. For Arce, it was his second goal of the season.
The game would remain tied for the next 20 minutes until the Spartans struck again. In the 69th minute, Thomas Trivelloni (Mt. Clemens, Mich.) found the back of the net. Jeff Krass (Brighton, Mich.), who scored twice in MSU's quarterfinal victory over Ohio State on Thursday, assisted on the game-winning goal. Trivelloni's goal tied him for the team lead with seven on the season.
For the game, Penn State outshot Michigan State, 17-7. The Spartans, however, were able to make the most of their opportunities and received some excellent goalkeeping from Mike Robinson (Troy, Mich.), who made five saves, including four in the second half.
Michigan State and Indiana will meet Sunday in the Big Ten Tournament Finals at 3 p.m. in Madison, Wis. The two teams met once during the season, with the Hoosiers winning 3-0 in Bloomington.
Game SummaryTeam 1st 2nd TotalMichigan State 0 2 2Penn State 1 0 1
Scoring Summary1. 15:16, PSU - Ricardo Villar2. 46:56, MSU - Steve Arce (Konley)3. 68:08, MSU - Thomas Trivelloni (Krass)
Shot AttemptsMichigan State 7Penn State 17
Goalie SavesRobinson (MSU) 5Sickman (PSU) 1Earnhardt (PSU) 1
Corner KicksMichigan State 1Penn State 6
Cautions and EjectionsYC - MSU (Wittig) 37:15, RC - PSU (Sickman) 39:09, YC - MSU (Gruber) 70:18, YC - MSU (Trivelloni) 88:48
