May 10, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State men's soccer head coach Bob Warming has announced the program's 2011 fall schedule, revealing a line up that features eight home games and match-ups with 10 teams that qualified for the NCAA Championship in 2010. The schedule also includes two non-conference contests versus regional rivals, road trips to six different states, and three opponents never faced before in program history.
The Nittany Lions will kick off the 2011 regular season in unprecedented fashion, hosting the Penn State Classic on opening weekend for the first time in program history. On Saturday, Aug. 27 (7 p.m.), Penn State will face MAAC team Siena and then wrap-up tournament action on Monday, Aug. 29 at 7 p.m. when it takes on American of the Patriot League. As has become tradition, Ohio State will also participate in the Lions' annual home tournament.
The following weekend, Penn State will make its first road trip of the season, visiting Columbus for its 11th consecutive appearance at Ohio State's Wolstein Soccer Classic. The Nittany Lions will battle two teams from the Sunshine State, first meeting Stetson on Friday, Sept. 2 at 5 p.m. before playing Florida International on Sunday, Sept. 4 at 12 p.m. in the finale.
Returning to Happy Valley, Penn State will begin a two-game home stand when it hosts St. Peter's on Friday, Sept. 9 (7 p.m.). Champions of the MAAC in 2010, the Peacocks earned the program's third-ever NCAA Championship bid but were ousted by Providence in the first round. On Wednesday, Sept. 14 (7 p.m.), the Lions will welcome back Saint Francis (Pa.) to the scene of a wild offensive duel of a year ago. Penn State set the Big Ten record for shots in a game with 38 in a 4-3 victory over the Red Flash at Jeffrey Field.
After traveling to take on Hartford in a 2 p.m. non-conference contest on Sunday, Sept. 18, Penn State will open Big Ten play on the road against archrival Indiana. The Nittany Lions and the Big Ten regular season champion Hoosiers will clash on Friday, Sept. 23 (7:30 p.m.) at Bill Armstrong Stadium in Bloomington. The teams split a pair of games a year ago, with IU taking the regular season match-up before Penn State avenged that defeat in the Big Ten Tournament.
Penn State will finish out the season's first full month of play when it hosts Georgetown on Tuesday, Sept. 27 in a 7 p.m. game. Last season, the Hoyas won the BIG EAST's Blue Division, posted a 12-6-2 record, and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championship before falling to North Carolina on penalty kicks.
A grueling October that features games against seven 2010 NCAA qualifiers and five road matches, begins on the first day of the month when reigning Big Ten Tournament champion Michigan visits University Park. Penn State's conference home opener is set for a 7 p.m. Saturday night start at Jeffrey Field. The Lions dropped two games to the College Cup-qualifying Wolverines in 2010, including the Big Ten Tournament title game. Three days later, on Tues., Oct. 4, Ivy League power Penn will trek to Happy Valley for a 7 p.m. game. Penn State won the in-state rivals' match-up in 2010, downing the Quakers, 2-1, in Philadelphia.
Penn State's daunting month continues the following week when it embarks on a two-game road swing that includes visits to Michigan State and Akron. The Nittany Lions will seek their fourth straight win over MSU when they face the Spartans in East Lansing on Sunday, Oct. 9 at 2 p.m. Three days later, Penn State will play the defending national champion Zips in one of the most difficult road environments in collegiate soccer. The Wednesday, Oct. 12 contest is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start. In 2010, the Lions pushed Akron to the limit before falling on a penalty kick in double overtime.
Penn State gets a brief respite from traveling on Sunday, October 16 when Northwestern comes to Jeffrey Field for a 2:30 p.m. contest. The Nittany Lions have more wins (22) against the Wildcats than any other league foe, including the teams' last meeting, a 3-1 victory in the Big Ten Tournament.
The Nittany Lions will then log nearly 1,700 miles of round trip travel during a four-game road stretch that features matches at UMBC (Wednesday, Oct. 19 - 7 p.m.), Ohio State (Sunday, Oct. 23 - 2 p.m.), Bucknell (Wednesday, Oct. 26 - 7 p.m.), and Hofstra (Tuesday, Nov. 1 - 7 p.m.). UMBC won the program's first America East title in 2010 while Bucknell is the reigning Patriot League champions. The Buckeyes were 11-6-3 a year ago, advancing to the third round of the NCAA postseason. The Lions have met Hofstra just one time previously, a 5-1 PSU win in 2009.
Penn State will conclude the 2011 regular season at home on Saturday, Nov. 5 when it hosts Wisconsin at 2 p.m on Senior Day.
After advancing to the championship game in each of the last two years, Penn State will again seek its fourth conference crown at the 2011 Big Ten Tournament, to be hosted by the University of Michigan, from Nov. 10-13 at U-M Stadium in Ann Arbor. Overall, Penn State owns a Big Ten Tournament mark of 24-13-4; one of just two conference teams to own a winning record in the postseason event.
The 2011 NCAA Championship is scheduled to begin on Thursday, Nov. 17 with first round action and will culminate at the College Cup, scheduled for Dec. 9 and 11 at Regions Park in Hoover, Ala.
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.), and Brian Forgue (Glenmoore, Pa.). Bolstering the roster is an incoming class of 11 recruits, consisting of six freshmen and five transfers.
The Nittany Lions' preseason exhibition schedule has yet to be finalized and will be released at a later date.
Game times are subject to change. Please check www.GoPSUsports.com throughout the summer and fall for the most up-to-date schedule information.