April 27, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's soccer team recently finished out a highly successful spring season, posting an undefeated record of 5-0 while outscoring its opponents, 14-0. The Nittany Lions defeated and shut out a professional team, three BIG EAST squads, and a Patriot League power. Three of the victories came after the resignation of 22-year head coach Barry Gorman, the program's all-time wins leader, with interim head coach Isang Jacob and assistant Ryan Defibaugh guiding the team.
"We are very pleased with the way our spring season turned out," said Jacob. "The players handled the resignation of head coach Barry Gorman in a very mature way and continued with the goals we set in mind for the future direction of the program. It has been tough for the players, as you can imagine. They played the last three games with heavy hearts and with a sense of uncertainty for the direction of the program, yet still accomplished the result we wanted. That speaks volume for the fine young men we have in our program. They have played and represented Penn State University with pride in all five games, and we did not expect anything less. We believe the results speaks for itself, and our spring schedule was a good test for the future expectations of our soccer program."
Rising junior Corey Hertzog (Reading, Pa.), a Second Team All-Big Ten selection in 2009, headlined the prolific Penn State offense, scoring five goals, including three game winners, and tallying one assist. First Team All-Big Ten honoree Matheus Braga (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and fellow rising senior Drew Cost (West Chester, Pa.) also were active on the attack, totaling two goals and five assists and two goals and one assist, respectively. Midfielder Mackenzie Arment (Manheim, Pa.) and defenders Marco Ciarla (Potomac, Md.), Justin Lee (Derwood, Md.), and Mark Fetrow (West Chester, Pa.) also contributed goals.
Rising senior Matheus Braga, who was a First Team All-Big Ten selection in 2009, totaled two goals and five assists this spring |
With starter Warren Gross (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) on the shelf for the spring, redshirt freshman reserve goalkeeper Brendan Birmingham (West Chester, Pa.), who saw no game action in 2009, surpassed expectations, anchoring the defense en route to the five shutouts. Back line starters Andres Casais (Caracas, Venezuela), Mark Fetrow, Justin Lee, Patrick Krispin (The Woodlands, Texas), and Brian Forgue (Glenmoore, Pa.) excelled individually and as a unit, giving 2010 opponents a glimpse of what they will be up against in the fall.
The Nittany Lions kicked off the spring schedule on March 30 with a 1-0 victory over the Harrisburg City Islanders, a professional team from the United Soccer League's Second Division. Continuing its winning ways, Penn State claimed its first BIG EAST victim, following up with a 3-0 decision over Villanova.
On April 13, just one day after the announcement of Gorman's resignation, Penn State routed defending Patriot League champion Bucknell, 6-0. Five different Nittany Lions scored goals while Matheus Braga notched four assists. Penn State downed the Bison, 2-1, in Lewisburg in 2009 and will face Bucknell again in 2010, hosting it for the second time in three years at the annual Penn State Classic.
The Lions remained hot, getting unassisted goals from Hertzog, Braga, and Fetrow, in a 3-0 blanking of Pittsburgh on April 17. Penn State then wrapped up its spring season on Blue-White Weekend with a 1-0 win over a West Virginia team led by former Barry Gorman assistant and Nittany Lion alum Marlon LeBlanc. Corey Hertzog netted the game winner early in the match and was close to recording a hat trick but missed on a one-on-one opportunity and saw another shot hit the crossbar in the second half.
"Hopefully, this is just a sign of things to come," said rising sophomore defender Brian Forgue. "We played well this spring and continued to get better as it went on, but we are going to keep working to improve this summer. Credit Coaches Jacob and Defibaugh for pulling us together as a team during a difficult time. I think we showed what kind of team we could be under their leadership. If we can keep all of the current pieces in place, and then add in some of the freshmen we have coming in, we have the potential to be a dangerous team in the fall."
The 2010 season will be a special one for the Penn State men's soccer program, as it will mark its 100th year of existence with a season-long celebration. Beginning this spring and culminating in the fall with a weekend of events including a reunion reception, a Nittany Lion game, and a banquet, the celebration will acknowledge the program's proud and distinguished tradition and history. Information, announcements, and any updates will be posted to the GoPSUsports.com website as they are solidified and become available. In 2010, Penn State will also serve as hosts of the Big Ten Tournament (Nov. 11-14) for the third time since joining the conference in 1991.
Penn State returns 17 letterwinners and nine starters, including four All-Big Ten performers and 2009 team leaders in goals and assists, from a squad that won 12 games, advanced to the Big Ten Tournament title game, and earned a berth in the NCAA Championship last season.