Aug. 10, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's soccer team is geared up to face Hartwick in its first preseason exhibition match Monday at 7 p.m. at Jeffrey Field. Admission and parking for all Penn State soccer games is free.
The contest is the first chance for fans to get a look at the 2012 Nittany Lion squad in head coach Bob Warming's third campaign. Warming's squad returns 13 letterwinners and seven starters from last season's team that advanced to the Big Ten Tournament title game for the third-consecutive year, broke the Penn State record for shutouts in a season and led the conference in goals allowed and goals against average.
Among the returnees are the team's top three scorers in Minh Vu (Tucson, Ariz.), the 2011 Big Ten Tournament Offensive MVP, Julian Cardona (Lincoln, Neb.) and Hasani Sinclair (Coral Gables, Fla.), along with the anchor of the PSU defense, goalkeeper Andrew Wolverton (Snellville, Ga.). The Nittany Lion roster has been bolstered by a talented group of newcomers, which includes seven freshmen and five transfers.
Penn State opened its fall training camp Aug. 9, led by a large upperclassman group of 10 seniors and six juniors. Other key returners from this group include Jacob Barron (La Mirada, Calif.) and Jordan Tyler (Rochester, Mich.), who both played in each contest in 2011.
Hartwick, under the direction of third-year head coach John Scott, returns the bulk of its roster from the 2011 season while losing just four players to graduation. The Hawks finished 5-6-5 (1-2-3 MAC), led by then-junior Greg Mathers' 20-point season. Mathers returns, along with classmates Cleyon Brown and Simon Greatwich. Sophomore goalkeepers Tom Buckner and Mateo Munarriz both saw playing time as freshmen a year ago, with Buckner starting 12 games and Munarriz with four starts.
Hartwick leads the all-time series with Penn State, 13-10-4. The teams last met in the regular season in 2006 as the Nittany Lions captured a 2-1 win in Columbus, Ohio, at the Ohio State Classic.
Following the tilt with Hartwick, Penn State will host Drexel Aug. 16 before wrapping up preseason exhibitions with a road match against Maryland Aug. 20. The Nittany Lions kick off the regular season with a three-game homestand against Stetson Aug. 25, Hartford Aug. 27 and Duquesne Aug. 31.
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