Aug. 26, 2011
Penn State Classic Tournament Central
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 18 Nittany Lion men's soccer team will open the 2011 regular season this weekend at home when it welcomes No. 15 Ohio State, American, and Siena to Jeffrey Field for the 15th annual Penn State Classic.
On the opening day of play, Saturday, Aug. 27, Ohio State will first face American (4:30 p.m.) followed by Penn State taking on Siena (7:00 p.m.). Day two, Monday, Aug. 29, will pit Ohio State versus Siena (3:00 p.m.) and Penn State against American (7 p.m.). Admission to the Penn State Classic and to all home men's soccer games is free.
Saturday night's match-up with Siena has been declared a Code Blue Blast event. Fans in attendance will enjoy free pizza from Rotelli (while supplies last) and will have a chance to win a $50 Sheetz gift card. Also, the first 250 students through the gates with a valid Penn State ID will receive a free Code Blue t-shirt.
The Nittany Lions finished the 2011 preseason with an undefeated 2-0 record after beating Towson, 1-0, last weekend in University Park. Senior midfielder Mackenzie Arment (Manheim, Pa.) scored the game winner in the 73rd minute, assisted on the play by junior midfielder Marvin Ledgister (London, England). Freshman goalkeeper Andrew Wolverton (Snellville, Ga.) earned the shutout in his first collegiate start, recording seven saves.
In week one of the preseason, Penn State downed Hartwick, 3-1, at Jeffrey Field, getting two goals from junior forward Hasani Sinclair (Coral Gables, Fla.) and one from junior midfielder Daniel Parr (Hummelstown, Pa.). Senior defender Matt Smallwood (Cochranville, Pa.) and junior forward Daniel Burnham (Boise, Idaho) each registered an assist.
Ohio State returns 16 letterwinners and eight starters from a 2010 squad that posted an 11-6-3 record, including a 4-2-0 mark in Big Ten play, and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Championship. Headlining the Buckeyes' offense is junior midfielder Austin McAnena (5 goals, 3 assists) and junior forward Chris Hegngi (3 assists, 4 goals), who ranked 2-3 in points on last year's team. Preseason All-Americans David Tiemstra, a senior defender, and Matt Lampson, a junior goalkeeper, anchor a strong OSU defense.
Siena's 2011 roster features seven returning starters from a team that went 10-8-1 and placed second in the MAAC with a 7-2-0 record last season. The Saints boasted a prolific offense in 2010, scoring 49 goals, but lost more than 50 percent of that output to graduation or transfer. Sophomore midfielders James Beeston (4 goals, 9 assists) and Matt Hemsley (5 goals, 3 assists) and junior forward Sindre Ek (4 goals, 2 assists) are back to lead the attack. Redshirt senior defender Nick Viaggio, a Second Team All-MAAC selection in 2010, lends a veteran presence to the back line. The Siena goalkeepers are inexperienced, with the four listed on the roster combining for one career start.
Penn State has never faced Siena in the 101-year history of the program and has played just six games all-time versus MAAC opponents. All six contests came versus Loyola (Md.) with the Nittany Lions owning a 4-1-1 record.
American enters the 2011 campaign with 17 letterwinners and eight starters on the roster from last year's team that went 7-9-3, placed third in the Patriot League with a 3-2-2 record, and advanced to the conference tournament title game. Junior forward Alassane Kane is back after leading the Eagles in points (16) and goals (7) a year ago, but the AU attack lost its next three highest scorers to graduation or transfer. Senior back Alex Tilatti, a career 32-game starter, and junior goalkeeper Mike Makoski, who has started every collegiate game in which he has appeared, key the American defense.
Penn State possesses a 1-2-0 all-time record versus Patriot League foe American. The Nittany Lions last met the Eagles in 2002, a 2-1 home loss as part of what was then known as the Penn State Nike Classic. The two teams were scheduled to meet on Oct. 25, 2005 in Happy Valley but a surprise late-fall snowstorm that struck central Pennsylvania forced cancellation of the non-conference clash.
Fans can follow all of the Nittany Lion men's soccer action at the Penn State Classic on the Internet with live stats and instant scoring updates from GameTracker or with a live video and audio webcast on Penn State All-Access. Find links on the official website of Nittany Lion athletics, www.GoPSUsports.com.
Penn State will make its first road trip of the season next weekend when it travels to Columbus, Ohio to participate in Ohio State's Bert & Iris Wolstein Classic. The Nittany Lions will open play at the Buckeyes' annual home tournament on Friday, Sept. 2, facing Stetson in a 5 p.m. contest. Penn State will conclude competition on Sunday, Sept. 4 when it takes on Florida International at 11 a.m. All games will be played at Ohio State's Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
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