June 2, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State men's soccer has released its schedule for the 2009 season, revealing a challenging slate of games that includes match-ups with seven teams that qualified for the NCAA Championship in 2008. The schedule also features nine regular season games at Jeffrey Field, five non-conference contests versus teams from Pennsylvania, and road trips to four different states.
"The schedule is nicely balanced," said head coach Barry Gorman, who is entering his 22nd season at the helm of the Nittany Lion program. "We get a chance to face some teams that we don't normally play on a regular basis. I think there are some very good games here in University Park for fans to come out and see."
The Nittany Lions will take to the pitch for the first time in 2009 when it hosts exhibition games against Duquesne (Sat., Aug. 22, 7 p.m.) and Binghamton (Wed., Aug. 26, 6 p.m.).
The 2009 regular season will begin in earnest the following week on Tues., Sept. 1 when regional rival Saint Francis (Pa.) visits Happy Valley for a 7 p.m. game. The Lions defeated the Red Flash, 1-0, in 2008 on the strength of Justin Lee's (Derwood, Md.) first career goal, upping their all-time series record versus Saint Francis to 8-0.
The following weekend Penn State will travel to Columbus, Ohio for Ohio State's annual tournament, the Wolstein Classic. The Nittany Lions will open play on Fri., Sept. 4 when it faces Cal State Fullerton at 5 p.m. In their last meeting in 2007, Penn State claimed a 2-0 win. On Sun., Sept. 6 (12 p.m.), PSU will face Gonzaga for the first time in the 99-year history of the program.
The Nittany Lions will then return home to host Ohio State, Hofstra, and Hartford in the 2009 edition of the Penn State Classic. The Lions will first face Hofstra on Fri., Sept. 11 at 7:30 p.m. and then wrap-up tournament action on Sun., Sept. 13 at 2:30 p.m. when they take on Hartford.
Two-time All-Big Ten forward and potential All-America candidate Jason Yeisley will return to the line-up in 2009 |
Penn State will head south to Virginia the next weekend for a two-game road trip against Colonial Athletic Association opponents Old Dominion and James Madison. Pupil and teacher will meet when the Nittany Lions and the Monarchs clash on Fri. Sept. 18 (8 p.m.) in Norfolk, as ODU head coach Alan Dawson played under Nittany Lion head coach Barry Gorman at Orangefield Boys School in Belfast, Northern Ireland as a youth. Penn State will then travel from the coast inland to Harrisonburg to meet the Dukes in a 2 p.m. contest on Sun., Sept. 20. A year ago in University Park, PSU earned a 1-1 draw with James Madison.
A three-game home stand will finish out the September schedule for the Nittany Lions. Penn State will look to avenge a 2-1 2008 loss to Lehigh when it welcomes the Mountain Hawks to Jeffrey Field for a 7 p.m. meeting on Wed., Sept. 23. The Lions will kick off Big Ten play on Sun., Sept. 27 as Michigan visits Happy Valley for a 2 p.m. game. Penn State is 7-3-1 all-time versus the Wolverines, including a 2-0 setback in 2008 in Ann Arbor. The home stand finale will feature a match-up with 2008 Ivy League champion Penn. The Lions and the Quakers will do battle on Wed., Sept. 30 at 7 p.m.
Conference play will continue for Penn State on Sun., Oct. 4 when it ventures to East Lansing, Mich. to face 2008 Big Ten champion Michigan State (1 p.m.). In 2008, Treavor Gelsinger (Shady Grove, Pa.) scored two goals and MacKenzie Arment (Manheim, Pa.) netted the first of his career but came up on the short end of a 4-3 shootout.
Mark Fetrow, an All-Big Ten Freshman Team honoree in 2008, will be key to Penn State's defensive fortunes in 2009 |
Penn State will play home games against Big Ten opponent Northwestern and in-state foe Lafayette in the span of four days, meeting the Wildcats on Sun., Oct. 11 (3:30 p.m.) and the Leopards on Wed., Oct. 14 (7 p.m.). The annual match-up between Penn State and Northwestern has emerged as one of the league's most intense rivalries in recent years, though the Lions have dominated the all-time series, winning 21 of 24 meetings. Penn State's record is similar versus Lafayette, as it has taken 27 of 30 all-time games.
Three consecutive road games against Ohio State (Sun., Oct. 18, 2 p.m.), Bucknell (Wed., Oct. 21, 7 p.m.), and Akron (Sun., Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m.) that could prove pivotal for Penn State fortunes in 2009 occupy a 10-day span on the schedule. The Lions knocked off the No. 17 Buckeyes at Jeffrey Field in 2008, getting two goals from Corey Hertzog (Reading, Pa.) and one from Vincent Salvatico (Chester Springs, Pa.). Penn State has more wins against Bucknell, 56, than other team in the history of the program. Last season, PSU limited the second-ranked Zips' offense, one of the nation's highest scoring, to just one goal in a 1-1 tie in University Park.
Penn State will end its 2009 home schedule on Sat., Oct. 31 when it hosts Wisconsin in a Senior Night Halloween match-up. Game time is set for 7 p.m. For their regular season finale, the Nittany Lions will take to the road to clash with conference archrival Indiana on Fri., Nov. 6 (7 p.m.). Penn State has won four of the last six meetings, including last year's 1-0 upset of the Hoosiers.
Penn State will seek its fourth conference title when it makes a return trip to Bloomington, Ind. for the 2009 Big Ten Championship, to be hosted by Indiana University, from Nov. 12-15 at Bill Armstrong Stadium. Overall, Penn State owns a Big Ten Championship mark of 22-12-4; one of just two conference teams to own a winning record in the postseason tournament.
Barry Gorman returns 19 letterwinners and eight starters from last season's team and welcomes back two-time All-Big Ten and All-America candidate Jason Yeisley (Allentown, Pa.) and standout defender Andy Parr (Hummelstown, Pa.) from injury in 2009.