Aug. 14, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 18 Nittany Lion men's soccer team will make its 2011 debut on Tuesday evening when it hosts Hartwick in an exhibition contest at Jeffrey Field. The match, which is the first Penn State home athletic event of the fall season, is set to begin at 7:30 p.m. Admission, as it will be for all regular season home Penn State men's soccer games, is free.
Second year head coach Bob Warming, who enters the season just three wins shy of 400 for his career, returns 11 letterwinners and five starters from a 2010 squad that won 14 games, played for the Big Ten Tournament title, and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Championship. Bolstering the roster is a top 25-ranked recruiting class which includes three Division I and two junior college transfers.
Returning leading scorers sophomore Jordan Tyler (Rochester, Mich.) and senior Mackenzie Arment (Manheim, Pa.), who tied for third on the team in 2010 with 13 points, will headline the Penn State offense. Tyler tallied five goals and three assists in his freshman campaign while Arment finished in second in assists with nine. A group of junior newcomers, including Hasani Sinclair (Coral Gables, Fla.), Julian Cardona (Lincoln, Neb.), and Minh Vu (Tucson, Ariz.), could also play key roles on the attack.
The Nittany Lion defense is anchored by veterans Justin Lee (Derwood, Md.), Matt Smallwood (Cochranville, Pa.), Mark Fetrow (West Chester, Pa.), and Brian Forgue (Glenmoore, Pa.). The quarter combined for 77 starts in 2010 while Smallwood led the team in minutes played. A new starter will man the goalkeeper position in 2011 with redshirt sophomore Micah Collins (Glen Rock, Pa.) and freshmen Andrew Wolverton (Snellville, Ga.) and Danny Sheerin (College Park, Md.) vying for the spot.
Hartwick welcomes back 11 letterwinners and four starters from a team that posted a 2-14-1 record a year ago, including a 1-5 mark in Mid-American Conference play. Junior midfielder Greg Mathers (1 goal) and sophomore Jason Keefe (1 assist) are the only two returning players to score a point in 2010. Sophomore goalkeeper Lee Fenner started five games last season, winning one contest while accumulating a 1.09 goals against average.
Fans can follow all of the action of the Penn State-Hartwick 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 will conclude its preseason schedule on Fri., August 19 when it hosts Towson in a 7 p.m. exhibition contest. The Nittany Lions begin the 2011 regular season the following weekend by welcoming No. 15 Ohio State, Siena, and American to Jeffrey Field for the annual Penn State Classic. On the first day of play, Sat., August 27, Ohio State will take on American (5 p.m.) to be followed by Penn State facing Siena (7 p.m.). Day two action, scheduled for Mon., August 29, will pit Ohio State versus Siena (5 p.m.) and Penn State against American (7 p.m.).
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