Aug. 5, 2009
For the Penn State men's soccer team, all of the pieces are in place for a highly successful 2009 season. The roster features a balance of hungry young players and battle-tested veterans. Talent is prevalent at every position. Excellent team chemistry has produced a close-knit unit. The squad has displayed mental toughness and has proven to be comprised of strong characters.
"This group wants to win at all costs," said 22-year Penn State head coach Barry Gorman. "And they have the mindset that they are going to do something about it. They have put the effort into their summer programs toward that end, and I look forward to seeing the results of their hard work this fall."
The main obstacle that stands in the way of the Nittany Lions attaining their goals is one that has hampered their progress in each of the last three seasons - injuries. In 2008, eight starters or key contributors combined to miss a total of over 60 games. Foremost on that list was two-time All-Big Ten forward Jason Yeisley and back line regular Andy Parr, who were both sidelined for the entire season while rehabbing knee injuries suffered in 2007. However, Yeisley and Parr, along with their fellow injured teammates, will be back this season and are determined to make their presence felt. If they return to form and the plague of injuries that has ravaged the Lions in recent years is avoided, 2009 could prove to be a breakout season for Penn State.
Two-time All-Big Ten forward Jason Yeisley |
SENIORS
The senior class, numbering five strong, will lend leadership and experience to the team in their final year in Happy Valley.
Diego Correa, a Brazilian national with a team-first mentality, will look to build on a solid spring season and crack a crowded midfield line-up. A fiery competitor with a powerful left foot, Frank Costigliola has the ability to be an offensive force from his attacking midfield position. Vincent Salvatico, a front line player who is blessed with top notch speed, will strive to translate that skill into production. Two knee operations have stunted the career of forward Jacobo Vera, but if healthy, he can be a potent weapon on the attack. If Jason Yeisley can regain the form that made him a legitimate All-America and Big Ten Player of the Year candidate in 2007, he makes Penn State a very dangerous offensive team.
"The senior class is going to have step up," said Gorman. "They had solid spring seasons and will need to build on that. Remaining consistent and staying healthy will go a long way towards accomplishing that goal."
NEWCOMERS
The 2009 group of newcomers consists of just three players but the trio, which is large on talent and potential, will form the foundation of the future of the Penn State program.
Pennsylvania product Brian Forgue comes to the Nittany Lions after a distinguished and decorated high school career. A two-time NSCAA/adidas First Team All-American defender at Glenmoor H.S., he led the Whippets to three straight Ches-Mont League Championships (2006-08) and to District I and PIAA State Championships in 2008. Forgue earned national attention when he was featured on the cover of ESPN RISE Magazine.
"Forgue is a warrior," said Gorman. "He is a kid who wins. He leaves everything on the field. I am looking for him to challenge for a spot and it may be a challenge for the coaching staff to find a place for him on the field."
Floridian Rafael Faria is coming off a senior year at Gulliver Prep in which he totaled 21 goals and 19 assists, earning Miami Dade Player of the Year honors. At 6-3, he will bring additional size to the already stout Penn State front line.
"Faria is a very good forward. He is dangerous and an intelligent player. He really seems hungry and to want it. He is spending the summer building himself up for playing at the collegiate level. I look for him to be a potential scorer in the very near future."
John Gallagher, a midfielder from Pine Bush, N.Y., will be ahead of the freshman curve after enrolling at Penn State in January. He reaped the benefits of training with the team throughout the spring and could be ready to contribute in 2009.
FORWARDS
Barry Gorman will have a variety of weapons in his offensive arsenal at the forward position in 2009.
"For the forwards, having success will be a matter of staying healthy and getting the breaks. There will be a lot of competition. There is a lot of talent at the position and a lot of potential goal scorers in that group."
Headlining the unit will be senior Jason Yeisley. The former First Team All-Big Ten selection is Penn State's leading returning scorer, totaling 16 goals and 11 assists (43 points) in 41 career starts. At 6-1, 200, he provides the Nittany Lion front line with a physical presence. As a two-time team captain, he is also prized for his leadership abilities and his infectious, hard-working approach. Fellow seniors Jacobo Vera (6 goals, 2 assists) and Vincent Salvatico (5 goals, 3 assists) have been solid contributors throughout their careers and will look to put a history of injuries behind them and make the most of their senior seasons.
Junior Treavor Gelsinger, a Second Team All-Big Ten selection a year ago, has had two productive seasons at Penn State and a third seems assured. In 2008, he was the team's leading goal scorer (6), after topping the Lions in assists as a freshman (6). Sophomore Corey Hertzog offered a glimpse of a bright future in his rookie season, which included a two-goal effort in an upset of Big Ten rival Ohio State.
MacKenzie Arment was a unanimous selection to the 2008 Big Ten All-Freshman Team |
MIDFIELDERS
The midfield possesses a wealth of talent and depth and features an ideal mix of youth and experience, both on the offensive and defensive ends, making the position an area of strength for the Nittany Lions.
Attacking midfielders Frank Costigliola, Drew Cost, Matheus Braga, and MacKenzie Arment have offensive mindsets and will be relied on for points.
"They are players who are explosive and skillful and are capable of not only scoring goals but also creating offense. There is a lot of class there and there will be a lot of competition for the starting spots and playing time," said Gorman.
Costigliola is the reigning veteran of the unit with 44 career games including 26 starts to his credit. Juniors Cost and Braga form the backbone of the group. Cost, a two-goal scorer in each of his first two years, has star potential while Braga, an excellent passer who plays with flair, led Penn State in assists a year ago in his first season as a Nittany Lion. Arment, a unanimous selection to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team, is a player to watch after ending the 2008 season second on the squad in points.
Adding a defensive component to the midfield position will be Matt Smallwood, Diego Correa, and Marco Ciarla. Smallwood, a tough as nails competitor, markedly improved as his freshman season progressed, translating into five starts, but was slowed by a separated shoulder late in the year. Correa, a senior, and Ciarla, a redshirt sophomore, will also push for playing time.
Mark Fetrow started all 19 games and led Penn State in minutes played as a freshman |
DEFENDERS
The Penn State defense is loaded, both in terms of quality and quantity, giving Gorman various options to choose from when setting his starting line-up or making substitutions. The unit will be buoyed by the healthy return of junior Andres Casais, a heady central defender who missed a large portion of the last season after fracturing his cheekbone during a game in September.
Three players who were forced into extensive duty due to injuries as freshman are back and will be the foundation of the defense. What Justin Lee lacks in physical size at 5-10, 155, he makes up for in heart and game knowledge. Mark Fetrow, a strong and towering central defender, led the team in minutes played in 2008 and was a legitimate Big Ten Freshman of the Year candidate. Patrick Krispin made the transition from forward to defender so successfully he forced his way into the starting line-up late in the season and provided the team with a spark.
Add in a fully-recovered Andy Parr, who was a fixture on the back line, starting 22 of 24 career contests, before his knee injury and highly-touted recruit Brian Forgue and the Penn State defense will unquestionably be the team's most improved and deepest position.
GOALKEEPERS
Redshirt sophomore Warren Gross enters the 2009 season entrenched as Penn State's starting goalkeeper. At 6-3, 207, he possesses ideal size for a collegiate netminder.
"He is a top notch, major Division I goalkeeper without question," said Gorman. "And there is the possibility that in three years time, he could be playing in the professional ranks. But he needs to stay focused."
Gross manned the goal down the stretch in 2008, starting the final four games of the season, and excelled, drawing the attention of the national college soccer watchers. For his play in a 1-1 tie versus offensive powerhouse No. 2 Akron and a 1-0 shutout win against rival No. 17-ranked Indiana, he was named NSCAA National Defensive Player of the Week.
Bryan Heffner redshirted his freshman year and is prepared to use lessons learned from watching from the sidelines last season to contribute if called into duty in 2009. He is a diligent worker and pushes Gross on a daily basis in practice.
Warren Gross was named National Defensive Player of the Week in November 2008 |
SCHEDULE
As has become custom under head coach Barry Gorman, the schedule for the 2009 season is a formidable one and will present the Penn State with challenges from September through November. It features six games against teams that earned invitations to the NCAA Championship a year ago, including five from the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions will face four teams from the state of Pennsylvania at home in 2009 - Saint Francis (9/1), Lehigh (9/23), Penn (9/30), and Lafayette (10/14) - and one on the road - Bucknell (10/21). The Penn State Classic brings Hofstra (9/11) from the Colonial Athletic Association and America East member Hartford (9/13) to Happy Valley and will be one of the many highlights of the 2009 home schedule.
Match-ups with Cal State Fullerton (9/4) and Gonzaga (9/6) at Ohio State's Wolstein Classic and a two-game weekend road swing through the state of Virginia featuring contests with Old Dominion (9/18) and James Madison (9/20) will provide Penn State with stiff competition. The Nittany Lions' sternest non-conference road test, however, will come in late October when it travels to take on national power Akron (10/28).
Despite the arduous nature of its non-conference schedule, the cutthroat competition the Lions will encounter within the Big Ten will be the ultimate proving grounds for Penn State in 2009. Should Penn State pilot its way through the conference slate successfully, a bid to the postseason could be in line.
"The 2009 schedule will definitely have its share of tough games," said Gorman. "We have a nice mix of games at home for fans to come out to Jeffrey Field and take in. The Big Ten is very, very competitive, top to bottom. There are no easy games. We have to be focused for every game because a lot of teams that play us think of it as their biggest game of the season."