Aug. 13, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's soccer team opened its 2015 training camp at the Jeffrey Field training complex Wednesday, Aug. 12. The team participated in a morning training session before capping off the day with an evening practice.
Head Coach Bob Warming is entering his sixth year with the team and has high hopes for the upcoming season. "The first day was great, the weather was fantastic, the field is in tremendous condition, and our guys are in the best shape they have been coming into any preseason," says Warming. "We are happy and ready to go."
The Nittany Lions return 18 students from last year's squad, including Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year Connor Maloney (Harrisburg, Pa.) and B1G assist leader Brian James (Sunrise, Fla.). Penn State will also welcome nine newcomers in 2015, including redshirt-senior goalkeeper Matt Bersano (Tempe, Ariz.), who is a recent graduate of Oregon State with a degree in speech communication.
Maloney, who recently returned from the United States U-23 National Team Camp, is geared up and ready for his junior season with the Nittany Lions. "On Tuesday we ran an optional fitness test that every guy on the team participated in, showing how committed and ready we are for the upcoming year," stated Maloney. "We haven't done two-a-days for a while now, so we will be sore a little bit, but the first day went really well and I expect tomorrow will be even better with a lot more focus and intensity."
James, entering his second year with Penn State after transferring from Virginia, has settled into his role as a play maker with the Nittany Lions. "I feel this year we are a closer knit team with the transfers from last year, including myself, blending in with the team and we will work really well together this season," said James. "I have great forwards in front of me this year and I intend to keep feeding them balls. I am more of a behind-the-scenes player, so I like to set them up for all the scoring."
Last week, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) released its preseason NCAA Men's Division I Rankings with Penn State ranking 23rd overall. The Nittany Lions are one-of-four Big Ten teams ranked in the top-25 of the preseason poll.
Penn State's season opener is set for Friday, Aug. 28 against San Francisco. Match time at Jeffrey Field is slated for 5:30 p.m. The match kicks off a two-game opening weekend as Navy visits Happy Valley for a Sunday afternoon match on Aug. 30 at 3 p.m. Admission and parking is free for all fans throughout the 2015 season.