Aug. 9, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's soccer team is ranked No. 18 in the nation according to the NSCAA preseason poll, which was released on Tuesday afternoon. The Nittany Lions received the same ranking in the 2010 final coaches' poll following their 14-8-1 season.
Penn State will face five other teams ranked in the top 25, including Big Ten foes Michigan (No. 9), Ohio State (No. 15), Indiana (No. 17), and Michigan State (No. 19). The Lions will also meet defending national champion and No. 2-ranked Akron and two other teams that received votes, UMBC and Georgetown, in 2011.
Penn State returns 11 letterwinners and five starters from last year's squad that won 14 games, played for the Big Ten Tournament title, and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Championship. Among those who will be back in the blue and white are top returning goal scorer, sophomore forward Jordan Tyler (Rochester, Mich.), and assist leader, senior midfielder Mackenzie Arment (Manheim, Pa.), and veteran back line regulars Brian Forgue (Glenmoore, Pa.), Justin Lee (Derwood, Md.), Mark Fetrow (West Chester, Pa.), and Matt Smallwood (Cochranville, Pa.).
Penn State is set to open training camp on Thurs., August 11.
The Nittany Lions will hold a Blue/White Game at Jeffrey Field on Sat., August 13 at 5 p.m. in conjunction with the PSU women's soccer team. The women will scrimmage first, starting at 4 p.m., before moving to the adjacent practice field for another hour of training. A free youth clinic will follow at 6 p.m. on Little Jeffrey Field, which is located south of the stadium. After the clinic, members from both teams will be available to sign autographs.
Penn State will begin preseason play on Tues., August 16 when it hosts Hartwick at Jeffrey Field in a 7:30 p.m. exhibition match. The Nittany Lions will open the regular season in University Park on Sat., August 27 with a 7 p.m. contest against Siena as part of their annual home tournament, the Penn State Classic. The game versus the Saints will also mark the beginning of Bob Warming's 2011 quest for 400 career wins. Entering the season with 397 victories, Warming is bidding to become just the 30th coach in the history of Division I men's soccer to reach the milestone.