UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa; November 27, 2005 - Penn State fell to Creighton, 3-1, Sunday afternoon at Jeffrey Field in a third round NCAA Championship contest, forcing an end to a historic and unprecedented season.

The loss also halts Penn State's 10-game winning streak, its longest since 1992.

The Nittany Lions gained the advantage first, staking a 1-0 lead in the 35th minute. Midfielder Jeff Chambers (Christiana, Pa.) broke open and rocketed an uncontested shot from 40 yards out that hit high into the net just out of the reach of Creighton goalkeeper Matt Allen. The goal was his second of the season. Defender Stephen Reihner (Washington, Pa.) and midfielder Brian Devlin (Philadelphia, Pa.) combined to get the ball to Chambers and were credited with assists. For Devlin, it was his sixth point in the last four games.

Creighton answered back just under seven minutes later, getting the equalizer from midfielder Sam Eid. Forward Tim Bohnenkamp sent a corner kick into the box that was controlled by defender Matt Wieland. Eid, playing in just his third game of the season, took the pass from Wieland and got a close-up shot through heavy traffic past Conrad Taylor (Colorado Springs, Colo.) to his left.

The Bluejays took the lead at the 59:35 mark on a penalty kick by their leading scorer, Byron Dacy. The freshman forward had a breakaway down the middle of the field and was trailed closely by defender David Gray (Lemont, Pa.). Their feet got tangled up as they crossed into the box and Dacy was awarded a penalty kick. He drilled the kick, tallying what would prove to be the game winner.

In the 75th minute, Michael Kraus scored an insurance goal off a one-timer. Kraus was opportunistic, finding an uncontrolled ball come to him and, from just a few yards out, scored his eighth goal of the season.

Penn State's offense pressured Creighton in the final 15 minutes but could not cut into the Bluejay lead, despite several scoring opportunities. Just after Creighton's third goal, Markku Viitanen (Pirkkala, Finland) lofted a perfect pass to a streaking Simon Omekanda (Rochester Hills, Mich.). The junior forward outraced the defense but Allen ran out to meet him and took the ball off his foot before he could get off a solid shot. Four minutes later, Viitanen had the best chance to make it a one-goal game when he fired a bullet from 35 yards out that looked on target but glanced off the crossbar.

After injuries and inexperience threatened to derail the 2005 season early on, Penn State embarked on a remarkable turnaround, coming back with a vengeance from an 0-4-1 start. The Nittany Lions swept through Big Ten competition, amassing a spotless 6-0-0 conference record, and claimed the Big Ten Regular Season Championship, both program firsts. They then went on to knock off defending national champion Indiana for the second time in 2005 to garner their third Big Ten Championship. Many conference honors followed, highlighted by Barry Gorman's first Big Ten Coach of the Year award and First Team accolades for Simon Omekanda, Conrad Taylor, and David Walters (Hunlock Creek, Pa.).

 1 2 F Creighton (15-4-3) 1 2 3 Penn State (13-7-2) 1 0 1 SCORING SUMMARY 35:29 Penn State - Jeff Chambers (2) (Stephen Reihner, Brian Devlin) 42:11 Creighton - Sam Eid (1) (Matt Wieland) 59:35 Creighton - Byron Dacy (9) (Penalty kick) 75:53 Creighton - Michael Kraus (8) (Byron Dacy, Brian Biggerstaff) SHOTS: Creighton 11, Penn State 10 CORNER KICKS: Creighton 9, Penn State 8 FOULS: Penn State 12, Creighton 7 GOALKEEPING: Conrad Taylor, Penn State - 3 saves, 3 goals against; Matt Allen, Creighton - 5 saves, 1 goal against