Aug. 24, 2007
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's soccer team will finish out its preseason schedule when it welcomes Saint Francis (Pa.) to Jeffrey Field for a 7 p.m. exhibition game on Sat., Aug. 25.
The Nittany Lions kicked off play in 2007 in successful fashion on Tuesday evening, defeating Georgetown, 1-0, in their exhibition opener. The game, which was first postponed 24 hours and then moved from Jeffrey Field because of two days of heavy rain, was played on Penn State athletics' newly installed but non-regulation-sized turf field. Junior midfielder Barkley Miller (New Freedom, Pa.) netted the game-winner in the game's 42nd minute, with an assist from sophomore midfielder Diego Correa (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). Redshirt freshman Liam Fitzwater (Schuylkill Haven, Pa.) and true freshman Warren Gross (Greenfield Center, N.Y.) split time in goal for Penn State with each collecting one save.
Saint Francis is coming off a 2-0 loss to Georgetown in its exhibition opener on Thursday night in Loretto. First year head coach Michael Casper gets back nine starters and inherits a team that posted a 10-7-3 record and finished second in the Northeast Conference with a 6-1-2 mark in 2006. Senior defenders Bryce Luetzen, St. Francis' leading returning scorer, and Bryan Maguire, a starter of 20 games a year ago, will headline the Red Flash in 2007.
Penn State begins regular season play on Fri., Aug. 31 at the Ohio State Classic. The Nittany Lions kick off the year by taking on Syracuse in an opening round tournament game scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Penn State will wrap-up play at the Ohio State Classic on Sun., Sept. 2 when it meets No. 13 West Virginia in a noon contest. The Lions open at home the following weekend, hosting Colonial Athletic Association opponents William & Mary (Sept. 7, 5:30 p.m.) and Old Dominion (Sept. 9, 2:30 p.m.) as part of the Penn State Classic.