Sept. 6, 2007
Penn State Classic Game Notes
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Penn State Classic Tournament Central
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's soccer team opens its 2007 home schedule this weekend by welcoming Ohio State, William & Mary, and Old Dominion to Jeffrey Field for the annual Penn State Classic. On the first day of competition, Fri., Sept. 7, Penn State will face William & Mary (5:30 p.m.) and Ohio State will take on Old Dominion (7:45 p.m.). Day two, Sun., Sept. 9, will pit Ohio State versus William & Mary (12:00 p.m.) and Penn State against Old Dominion (2:30 p.m.). Admission to the Penn State Classic and to all home men's soccer games is free.
Due to a State College Spikes baseball game on Friday evening, fans attending the Penn State Classic should access the parking lots through the yellow gate located off of University Drive, near the intersection of University Drive and Curtin Road. Parking for soccer is available in the grass lots adjacent to Jeffrey Field, which will open at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. There will be no free parking available in the paved Beaver Stadium lot.
The Nittany Lions opened the 2007 season last weekend on the road in Columbus, Ohio at the Wolstein Soccer Classic as hosted by The Ohio State University. Uncharacteristic defensive breakdowns proved costly for Penn State in game one, as the Lions fell to Syracuse 4-0. In its final tournament appearance, Penn State dropped a narrow 1-0 decision to No. 13 West Virginia in a hard-fought, highly competitive contest. Senior defender Geordie MacNeill (Richmond Hill, Ont.) and junior forward Jason Yeisley (Allentown, Pa.) were honored on the all-tournament team for their standout play.
William & Mary travels to Happy Valley touting a 1-0-0 record after earning a 1-0 season opening victory over Elon University on Sept. 1. Sophomore midfielder Jeremy Harris scored his first career goal in the 55th minute to propel the Tribe to the win. Midfielder Doug Ernst returns for his senior season as William & Mary's top playmaker. After leading the Colonial Athletic Association in assists last season with nine, Ernst provided Harris with an assist on his game-winning score.
Penn State holds a 4-3-0 record in its all-time series with William & Mary, including a 3-1 mark in University Park. The previous two meeting between the Nittany Lions and the Tribe have come in the NCAA postseason, with PSU claiming 1-0 victories in both 1999 and 2002.
Pupil and teacher will meet on Sunday when Old Dominion and Penn State clash, as Monarchs head coach Alan Dawson played under Nittany Lion head coach Barry Gorman at Orangefield Boys School in Belfast, Northern Ireland as a youth. Dawson, entering his 11th season at Old Dominion, saw his team survive a rugged opening weekend with a 0-1-1 record. At the Carolina Nike Classic, the Monarchs fell, 2-1, in double overtime to No. 3 Wake Forest and tied No. 16 North Carolina, 1-1. Sophomore forward Ambane Emmanuel and junior defender Ollie Lutton netted goals for ODU while junior forward Daniel Haywood tallied two assists last weekend. Sophomore goalkeeper Evan Newton started both games in net, collecting 12 saves.
Penn State and Old Dominion are relative strangers on the pitch, as the teams have only met twice in their program histories and never at Jeffrey Field. The Nittany Lions won the last match-up, 3-0, on Nov. 3 in 2001 in Norfolk, Va. The Monarchs took the first meeting, 2-1, at the Met Life Classic on Oct. 1, 1989.
Head coach John Bluem's Ohio State team cracked the NSCAA top 25 poll this week, after defeating No. 13 West Virginia, 1-0, and tying Syracuse, 0-0 as hosts of the Wolstein Soccer Classic last weekend. The No. 22 Buckeyes are headlined by M.A.C. Herrmann Trophy candidate and reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week Eric Brunner. Senior forward Xavier Balc, a First Team All-Big Ten selection in 2006, fronts the OSU attack. Penn State does not face Ohio State until Sat., Oct. 6 when it travels back to Columbus for a key Big Ten showdown.
Fans can follow all of the action at the Penn State Classic with live stats and instant scoring updates on Gametracker. Click on the gametrack PSU link or visit the Penn State Classic Tournament Central page on the official website of Nittany Lion athletics, www.GoPSUsports.com. Fans can also listen to a live radio broadcast of Sunday's Penn State-Old Dominion contest on the Internet at www.ComRadio.psu.edu.
The Nittany Lions return to the road next week, heading west to Los Angeles for contests with Cal State Fullerton (2-0-0) and No. 11 UCLA (0-2-0). Penn State will match-up with the Titans on Fri., Sept. 14 at 8 p.m. ET and will challenge the Bruins on Sun., Sept. 16 at 5:30 p.m. ET. Both games will be played on the UCLA campus at the home of the Bruins, Drake Stadium.