STATE COLLEGE, Pa., Sept. 21, 2001 -- Penn State freshman Pasi Karpinnen (Kupopio, Finland) scored the lone goal of the game as the No. 16 Penn State men's soccer team (overall 4-1, Big Ten 1-0) defeated Southwest Missouri State, 1-0, in the opening match-up of the Ohio State Nike Classic in Columbus, Ohio.

Karpinnen's goal came off a corner kick by senior Hermann Trophy candidate Ricardo Villar (Sao Paulo, Brazil) at 82:49 to give the Lions the win. Villar's assist (25) moves him to fifth on the all-time career assist list. Penn State out-shot the Bears 22-8. With the win, Penn State head coach Barry Gorman pulls within three wins (183) of overtaking Walter Bahr as the all-time winningest coach in Nittany Lion men's soccer history.

Penn State is back in action Sunday when they take on the No. 14 Creighton Bluejays at noon in Columbus, Ohio. This will be the first meeting between the two teams, and a reunion for former Nittany Lion assistant Kevin Doyle, who is now an assistant at Creighton. The Bluejays are coming off a 22-4 season that ended with a loss to No. 7 Connecticut in the Finals of the NCAA College Cup.

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