Michigan
Penn State
Cameron Knocks in Three as Michigan Tops Penn State
10/26/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- The No. 11-ranked University of Michigan men's soccer team posted its program-best 12th win of the season Sunday afternoon (Oct. 26), as junior Knox Cameron (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Spellman HS) tallied his first collegiate hat trick to lead the Wolverines to a 4-2 victory at Penn State on Jeffrey Field. In front of family members who made the trip from the Bronx, N.Y., Cameron netted one goal in the first half and two in the second to propel Michigan to its first victory over the Nittany Lions in six tries. The win also assures Michigan of no lower than the second seed in the Big Ten Conference Tournament (Nov. 13-16) in Bloomington, Ind.
Cameron put the Wolverines on the board first with a header off an Adam Bruh (Roselyn Heights, N.Y./Wheatley HS) cross at the 21:22 mark of the first half. It marked the second consecutive game Michigan made good on a corner kick opportunity, as Mike White (Livonia, Mich./Stevenson HS) headed in a Bruh corner Friday night (Oct. 24) at Akron. The goal was Cameron's ninth of the year and gave U-M a 1-0 advantage midway through the first.
Senior tri-captain Kevin Taylor (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep) put the Maize and Blue up 2-0 just 3:31 later, at 24:51, when he converted his sixth penalty kick of 2003. Mychal Turpin (Pontiac, Mich./University of Detroit Jesuit HS) made the play a go when he was pulled down once he got behind the Nittany Lion defense in the 18-yard box. Taylor has now scored via the penalty kick in four of the last five weeks dating back to the weekend of Sept. 26-28.
Markku Viitanen pulled PSU within one goal when he sent a 20-yard laser past sophomore goalkeeper Peter Dzubay (Sylvania, Ohio/Northview HS) at 28:44. Viitanen's shot made it through the traffic in front of the net, and Dzubay got his fingers on it but it was not enough as the ball crossed the goal line, making the score 2-1 in favor of the Wolverines.
The score remained 2-1 at the end of the first 45 minutes of play with Penn State outshooting Michigan by the count of 9-4. However, U-M made it a two-goal advantage just 4:09 into the second half, when Cameron banged a one-timer past PSU replacement keeper Matt Novchich at 49:09. Matt Niemeyer (St. Louis, Mo./John Burroughs HS) set up the scoring play when he found Kevin Robinson (Caro, Mich./Faith Baptist HS) on the wing. Robinson then one-touched the ball to Cameron, who fired the eventual game-winner to the back of the net.
Penn State did not quit though as the Lions again made it a one-goal game at 54:08 with a goal off the foot of Viitanen from 12 yards out. Chad Severs was awarded the assist.
At 63:41, Cameron gave the Maize and Blue an insurance goal with this third tally of the game. White found Cameron 12 yards away from the goal mouth, and Cameron did the rest as he collected the ball and sent it just inside the far left post to complete his first hat trick in a Michigan uniform.
Michigan concludes its Big Ten Conference and regular-season schedules with a league matchup at Ohio State next Saturday (Nov. 1) in Columbus, Ohio. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Jesse Owens Stadium. Michigan holds a 2-1 advantage in the three-game series, with back-to-back victories in 2001 and 2002.
GAME SUMMARY
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
| Michigan | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Penn State | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- U-M, Knox Cameron,21:22 (Adam Bruh)
1st -- U-M, Kevin Taylor,24:51 (penalty kick)
1st -- PSU, Markku Viitanen, 28:44 (unassisted)
2nd-- U-M, Cameron,49:05 (Kevin Robinson, Matt Niemeyer)
2nd -- PSU, Viitanen,54:08 (Chad Severs)
2nd -- U-M, Cameron,63:41 (Mike White)
Shots: U-M 8,PSU 19
Saves: U-M10 (Peter Dzubay),PSU2 (Eric Earnhardt 1,Matt Novchich1)
Corner Kicks: U-M 4,PSU 4
Fouls: U-M 25, PSU 21
Cards: U-M, Ryan Sterba,29:00 (yellow); PSU, Brian Devlin, 35:12 (yellow); U-M, Matt Niemeyer, 35:38 (yellow); PSU, Jeff Chambers, 60:43, (yellow); U-M Adam Bruh, 73:10, (yellow); PSU, Markku Viitanen, 85:08, (yellow).
Contact: Gene Skidmore (734) 763-4423
