Aug. 21, 2009
Game flip card (including printable 2009 schedule)
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's soccer team will open its preseason schedule on Saturday evening when the Nittany Lions host in-state opponent Duquesne in an exhibition match-up scheduled for 7 p.m. at Jeffrey Field.
Head coach Barry Gorman, entering his 22nd season at the helm of the Penn State program, returns eight of 11 starters and 18 letterwinners for the 2009 season. He has also added a small but star-studded recruiting class which includes defender Brian Forgue (Glenmoore, Pa.), a two-time First Team NSCAA/adidas High School Boys' All-American, and forward Rafael Faria (Miami, Fla.), the Miami Dade Player of the Year.
The Nittany Lion offense will be fronted by two-time All-Big Ten forward Jason Yeisley (Allentown, Pa.). The senior team captain, who missed the entire 2008 season due to a serious knee injury, is Penn State's leading active scorer with 16 goals and 11 assists. Junior Treavor Gelsinger (Shady Grove, Pa.), a Second Team All-Big Ten selection a year ago, led the team in goals last season after topping the Lions in assists as a freshman. Attacking midfielders Frank Costigliola (Dix Hills, N.Y.), Drew Cost (West Chester, Pa.), Matheus Braga (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), and Kenzie Arment (Manheim, Pa.) and forwards Jacobo Vera (Pamplona, Spain), Vincent Salvatico (Chester Springs, Pa.), and Corey Hertzog (Reading, Pa.) will also be counted on for points.
The Penn State defense is headlined by Andres Casais (Caracas, Venezuela) and Andy Parr (Hummelstown, Pa.). The duo has combined for 48 career starts but injuries sidelined the back line pair for significant time last season. Sophomores Mark Fetrow (West Chester, Pa.), who led PSU in minutes played in 2008, and Justin Lee (Derwood, Md.), a starter of 14 games a year ago, and Patrick Krispin (The Woodlands, Tex.) will also be key contributors.
Led by four-year head coach Jake Ouimet, Duquesne is coming off a 5-10-4 (1-7-1 Atlantic-10) 2008 season. The Dukes return seven starters and 17 letterwinners from that squad including team captains Kevin Foglesong, Stefan Lundberg, and Alex Trujillo. Junior midfielders Ben Horner and Lundberg are Duquesne's leading returning scorers after totaling 15 (6 goals, 3 assists) and 14 points (5 goals, 4 assist), respectively, a year ago. Junior Chris Torres, who started all 18 games in goal last season for the Dukes while compiling a 1.42 goals against average, anchors the defense.
Fans can follow all of the action of the Penn State-Duquesne match-up on the Internet with live stats and instant scoring updates from Gametracker. Find a link on the official website of Nittany Lion athletics, www.GoPSUsports.com. Penn State men's soccer supporters can also keep up-to-date on the team throughout the season with exclusive notes and information by way of Twitter. Go to twitter.com and search psusportsjr to become a follower.
The Nittany Lions will conclude their preseason schedule on Wed., Aug. 26 when Binghamton of the America East Conference visits Happy Valley for a 6 p.m. exhibition contest at Jeffrey Field. Penn State will begin regular season play the following week on Tues., Sept. 1 when it hosts regional foe Saint Francis (Pa.) in a 7 p.m. game. The Lions hold a perfect 8-0 all-time series record versus the flash, including last season's 1-0 victory in University Park.