March 24, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's soccer program has released its 2011 spring schedule, revealing five dates that feature match-ups with four NCAA opponents, one local professional team, and an all-star squad. The Nittany Lions will play three exhibition games on the road and two at home.
Penn State will open its 2011 spring season this weekend when it travels locally to Loretto, Pa. to face Saint Francis and Shepherd University, a Division II school located in Shepherdstown, W.Va., on Saturday in split squad scrimmages. The Lions will take on the Red Flash at 2:45 p.m. and the Rams at 4:35 p.m. Last year, Penn State set the Big Ten record for shots in a game with 38 in a 4-3 victory over Saint Francis in Happy Valley.
The Nittany Lions will be back on the road the following weekend, visiting West Virginia for a 2 p.m. match at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium on Sunday, April 3. Guided by former Nittany Lion player and assistant coach Marlon LeBlanc, the Mountaineers finished the 2010 season with an 11-8-2 record, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Championship before falling to eventual national title winner Akron. Last spring, Penn State topped West Virginia, 1-0, on Blue-White Weekend on a game winner by Corey Hertzog.
Returning home, just three days later, the Nittany Lions will host the Harrisburg City Islanders, a professional team from the United Soccer League's Second Division on Wednesday, April 6 (4 p.m.) in a re-match of a 2010 spring exhibition that PSU won, 1-0. Coming back to Happy Valley as a City Islander will be former Nittany Lion defender Anthony Calvano, a letterwinner from 2002-04.
Penn State will then travel to Jamaica, N.Y. to scrimmage a second BIG EAST opponent of the spring, St. John's, at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 16. The Red Storm went 10-6-1 overall and 4-3-2 in conference play in 2010, finishing in three-way tie for third place in the Red Division.
On Wednesday, April 20, Penn State will finish out its 2011 spring season when it welcomes a Pennsylvania All-Star team to University Park for a 6 p.m. scrimmage. The squad will be comprised of top college players throughout the commonwealth.
In his first season at the helm of the Penn State program, Warming led the 2010 Nittany Lions to 14 wins, the most since by a PSU team since 2002, a Big Ten Tournament title game appearance, and to the program's first NCAA postseason victory in five years. Penn State boasted one of the nation's most prolific offenses, totaling 144 points (45 goals, 54 assists) in 23 games, but have lost Corey Hertzog, the NCAA's top goal scorer in 2010, to the MLS and Matheus Braga, the nation's assist leader a year ago, to graduation. Returning to lead the Lions in 2011 will be veterans Mackenzie Arment (Manheim, Pa.), Justin Lee (Derwood, Md.), Matt Smallwood (Cochranville, Pa.), Mark Fetrow (West Chester, Pa.), Brian Forgue (Glenmoore, Pa.), and All-Big Ten Freshman Team goalkeeper Brendan Birmingham (West Chester, Pa.).
2011 PENN STATE MEN'S SOCCER SPRING SCHEDULE
Saturday, March 26
at Saint Francis, 2:45/vs. Shepherd, 4:35
Sunday, April 3
at West Virginia, 2:00
Wednesday, April 6
HARRISBURG CITY ISLANDERS, 4:00
Saturday, April 16
at St. John's, 2:00
Wednesday, April 20
PENNSYLVANIA ALL-STARS, 6:00