Chris Scanlon races to goal, shoots, and celebrates his game-winning goal in overtime against Penn State. (Photos by k. colton/SportsPics.net)

April 10, 2004

GENEVA, N.Y.—Hobart junior midfielder Chris Scanlon (Corning West/Painted Post, N.Y.) scored 32 seconds into overtime to lift the Statesmen over Penn State this afternoon at Boswell Field. The Statesmen and the Nittany Lions have met 10 times since 1995, with six of those games decided by just a single goal, including four in overtime.

Penn State (3-5) won the faceoff to start the extra session, but the ball was knocked loose in front of the Nittany Lions bench. After a short scrum and an inadvertent whistle, Hobart (6-4) was awarded possession. Junior goalie Dan Valente (Mount Hebron/Ellicott City, Md.) threw a pass over the PSU defense 10 yards past midfield to Scanlon, who ran into the restraining box unchecked and fired a low screamer past goalie Josh LaGrow (Christian Brothers Academy/Skaneateles, N.Y.).

The Statesmen appeared to have sealed the victory late in the fourth quarter when first-year midfielder Chris David (Georgetown Prep/Silver Springs, Md.) drove the crease from behind the net, rolled back towards the end line and beat LaGrow with a zero-angle shot over his right shoulder with 1:15 remaining in regulation.

The Nittany Lions had three possessions in the final 65 seconds, but it wasn’t until the last that they managed a shot. Following a PSU timeout with 4.6 remaining, junior attackman Will Cutler (St. John’s College/Vienna, Va.) heaved a desperation shot from the top of the box that took a strange bounce past a screened Valente, beating the clock by 0.5 seconds to force overtime. Valente finished with nine saves.

LaGrow allowed seven goals and posted 13 saves in 57 minutes and 23 seconds. Senior goalie Mike Stoltz allowed the other goal in three minutes and nine seconds of relief work while LaGrow served an illegal body check penalty.

Junior attackman Nate Hill (Hamburg/Hamburg, N.Y.) scored just three minutes into the contest to give Hobart a 1-0 lead and the only goal of the first quarter. He led Hobart with two goals and two assists.

The Nittany Lions roared back in the second session, netting four unanswered goals. Cutler fueled the run with back-to-back-to-back tallies. He led Penn State with four goals.

Hobart trailed 4-2 at the half after senior attackman Mark Williamson (Corning East/Corning, N.Y.) scored his team-leading 25th to close out the first half scoring. The Statesmen jumped back in front in the third quarter, outscoring their guests 4-1 and reclaiming the lead on a goal by senior midfielder Brian Joy (West Genesee/Camillus, N.Y.) with 2:26 left in the frame.

First-year midfielder Pat Heim (Conestoga/Wayne, Pa.) knotted the game at 6-all, setting up the drama of the final two minutes.

Hobart outshot Penn State 44-30, held a 44-22 advantage on ground balls, and won 13-of-17 faceoffs, while limiting the Nittany Lions to just 19-of-32 clearing. PSU did score on two of its five man-up opportunities, while holding the Statesmen scoreless on seven tries.

The Statesmen return to Boswell Field at 1 p.m. on April 17, when eighth-ranked Ohio State visits Geneva.