March 14, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Penn State men's soccer opens its 2013 spring exhibition schedule at 4:30 p.m. Sunday against Wright State. The Nittany Lions and Raiders will face off in Holuba Hall in the first of seven contests for PSU in March and April. The full schedule is available here.
Admission to each of the spring contests is free.
2013 PENN STATE MEN'S SOCCER SPRING SCHEDULE
Sunday, March 17
Wright State | 4:30 p.m. | Holuba Hall
Sunday, March 24
Saint Francis (Pa.) | 2:30 p.m. | Holuba Hall
Saturday, March 30
Rutgers | 1:30 p.m. | Holuba Hall
Rutgers vs. Cleveland State | 2:45 p.m. | Holuba Hall
Cleveland State | 4 p.m. | Holuba Hall
Sunday, April 7
Syracuse | 1 p.m. | Jeffrey Field
Saturday, April 13
Toronto Winstar Academy | 1 p.m. | Jeffrey Field
Saturday, April 20
US Naval Academy | 4:30 p.m. | Jeffrey Field
The Blue and White play their first four games against Wright State, Saint Francis (Pa.), Rutgers and Cleveland State inside Holuba Hall before moving outside to Jeffrey Field, weather permitting, to take on Syracuse, Toronto Winstar Academy and the US Naval Academy.
The 2012 Penn State squad captured the Big Ten regular-season championships, earning a share of the crown with Northwestern. The title was significant not just because it was the first for the program since 2005, but because it followed the 2011 season in which Penn State was held winless in regular-season conference clashes. The Nittany Lions regrouped in the offseason and battled to a 3-1-2 finish in the Big Ten this fall while posting an undefeated ledger (2-0-1) on the road, including a monumental double overtime victory against Northwestern in Evanston, Ill., Oct. 21. The loss was the first for the Wildcats in Big Ten play since Nov. 11, 2010, a 3-1 loss to Penn State in the opening round of the conference tournament.
Mirroring the team's rise to the top of the regular-season conference standings, Penn State led the league with six All-Big Ten selections. Seniors Jacob Barron (La Mirada, Calif.) and John Gallagher (Pine Bush, N.Y.) landed on the first team while classmates Julian Cardona (Lincoln, Neb.) and Hasani Sinclair (Coral Gables, Fla.), along with sophomores Owen Griffith (Lewisburg, Pa.) and Andrew Wolverton (Snellville, Ga.), left a Blue and White mark on the second team list. In addition, rookie Drew Klingenberg (Gibsonia, Pa.) earned All-Freshman team honors and Daniel Burnham (Boise, Idaho) was named a Big Ten Sportsmanship Honoree.