Aug. 24, 2012
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -The Penn State men's soccer team opens its 2012 campaign at home against Stetson at 7 p.m. Saturday before hosting Hartford at 7 p.m. Monday. Admission to all regular-season home matches and parking is free at Jeffrey Field.
ON THE HORIZON
Following the contests with Stetson and Hartford, the Nittany Lions cap off the three-game homestand with an 8 p.m. showdown with Duquesne Aug. 31 at Jeffrey Field. The squad then hits the road to face Georgetown at 1 p.m. Sept. 2 in Washington, D.C.
FOLLOW ALONG!
The men's soccer program has its own Twitter account for the first season this year! Be sure to follow @PennStateMSOC, along with all of the Penn State athletics accounts, to get the most up-to-date and behind the scenes information. Join the Nittany Lions fans on Facebook as well, at Facebook.com/pennstatemenssoccer.
THE 2012 NITTANY LIONS
Penn State opened its fall training camp Aug. 9 to begin preparations for the 2012 season, head coach Bob Warming's third at the helm of the program. The team is led by a large upperclassman group of 10 seniors and six juniors.
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 2011 PSU defense, goalkeeper Andrew Wolverton (Snellville, Ga.).
The program welcomes 11 newcomers this season, including six freshmen and five transfers, spread across the field. The group consists of five backs, three midfielders, two forwards and goalkeeper Emmanuel Martin (Cormontreuil, France).
SCOUTING THE HATTERS
Stetson is led by midfielder Jonathan Mendoza, one of five seniors on the squad. The Altamonte Springs, Fla., native earned spots on the second-team Preseason All-American lists by College Soccer News and College Sports Madness, as well as a third-team All-America honor from the NSCAA. Mendoza topped the scoring charts for the Hatters in 2011, sending home 11 goals while adding five assists on the way to Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year accolades. Stetson is also aided by the return of A-Sun Defensive Player of the Year, Luis Ocejo.
Under the direction of sixth-year head coach T. Logan Fleck, Stetson looks to improve upon its 10-5-4 record from a year ago. The Hatters finished second in the Atlantic Sun at 6-1-1 in 2011. Along with five seniors, the Hatters feature eight juniors.
A LOOK AT THE HAWKS
Hartford aims to carry its momentum from late last season into the 2012 slate. The Hawks, guided by second-year skipper Tom Poitras, won five of their last six contests to march into the America East title game for the first time in 12 years. The squad's 2011 scoring leader, David Bernhardsson, is back after a first-team America East All-Conference-worthy season of six goals and six assists. Fellow striker Anthony Santaga joins Bernhardsson up front again this fall. Santaga also added six goals a season ago and finished just a point behind Bernhardsson in the final standings. Hartford will feature a rookie in the goal mouth, as all three keepers on the roster are freshmen.
A HISTORY OF THE SERIES
The Nittany Lions have faced Stetson on the pitch just once. The teams met at the Wolstein Soccer Classic in Columbus, Ohio, last season as the Hatters bested Penn State, 3-2.
The Lions hold the series advantage over Hartford, 1-0-2. Ninety minutes has not been enough to decide meetings between Penn State and Hartford lately, as the last two matches both required two overtimes, including PSU's 1-0 win in 2009. Last season, the teams posted a scoreless tie on the road in Hartford, Conn.
GETTING PROMOTIONAL
Fans attending the Stetson match will receive free schedule magnets, while complimentary schedule posters will be available Monday during the Hartford contest. To close out the homestand, free Penn State soccer t-shirts will be given to fans at the Duquesne match Aug. 31.
THIRD TIME'S A CHARM
Penn State played three preseason exhibitions on the way to a 1-0-2 record, capped by a 2-2 draw against No. 9 Maryland in College Park, Md. The Nittany Lions struggled to find the back of the net in the first two exhibitions against Hartwick and Drexel at home, with a scoreless draw against the Hawks and a 1-0 win over the Dragons, but jumped out to a 2-0 lead against the Terrapins.
Freshman Drew Klingenberg (York, Pa.) notched the team's gamewinner against Drexel with help from Jacob Barron (La Mirada, Calif.). Junior Mikey Minutillo (San Jose, Calif.) and senior Cardona accounted for the two goals against Maryland. Daniel Burnham (Boise, Idaho) and John Gallagher (Pine Bush, N.Y.) were credited with assists on those goals.
TUBE-ULAR COVERAGE
The men's soccer team will have at least two games aired on the Big Ten Network in 2012. The Nittany Lions make their BTN season debut Oct. 6 at Michigan before hosting Michigan State Oct. 14 at 3 p.m., which will air live on the BTN. The Michigan contest air time will be announced at a later date. Additionally, both Big Ten Tournament semifinal contests and the championship game will be aired live on the BTN.
PRESEASON POLLS
Penn State was selected fifth in the Big Ten men's soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll. Reigning conference champion Northwestern and 2010 Big Ten champion Indiana shared the top spot, followed by Michigan State and Ohio State. Following the Lions, Wisconsin and Michigan round out the list.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Three Nittany Lions found spots on the 2012 Big Ten Players to Watch list. Seniors Minh Vu and Jacob Barron are expected to produce in the midfield this season, while sophomore Andrew Wolverton was one of just two goalkeepers on the list. Wolverton was joined by classmate and fellow keeper, Tyler Miller of Northwestern.
NSCAA TO OFFER COACHING COURSES
The National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) will offer two opportunities this fall for individuals to attend a special topic course, "Reading the Game", at a Penn State soccer game. The first opportunity will come on August 24, as the Penn State women's soccer team hosts defending national champion Stanford. The second chance to attend the course will come on Sept. 29, as Penn State men's soccer hosts Indiana. For more information, click here.