Aug. 26, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State University men's soccer team concluded its 2015 preseason this past weekend, shutting out all three of its opponents in exhibition matches.
The Nittany Lions kicked off preseason action with an exhibition match against St. Joseph Monday, Aug. 17 at Jeffrey Field. Penn State used a goal from freshman Mac Curran (York, Pa.) off a pass from Connor Maloney (Harrisburg, Pa.) to seal the 1-0 preseason victory and a shutout for the PSU defense.
In its second exhibition match, Penn State shut out the West Chester Majors, 5-0, Wednesday, Aug. 19. Again, Curran and Maloney combined for the first goal of the match when Curran got his head on a hard-shot ball from Maloney inside the 18-yard box in the first half.
The Nittany Lions extended their lead to 3-0 with goals from Riley Grant (Copley, Ohio) and Maloney before redshirt-sophomore Sam Bollinger (State College, Pa.) knocked in a pair of goals that would allow Penn State to earn the 5-0 victory.
Penn State capped off the 2015 preseason Saturday, Aug. 22 when it took on St. John's inside the friendly confines of Jeffrey Field. The Nittany Lion defense continued to be a problem for opponents as it tallied its third-straight shutout of the preseason behind the goalkeeping of redshirt-senior Matt Bersano (Tempe, Ariz) and Evan Finney (San Francisco, Calif.).
Penn State's lone goal of the match came in the 54th-minute when Maloney tapped the ball past the keeper off passes from Dayonn Harris (Milton, Ontario, Canada) and Grant. In their final match of the preseason, the Nittany Lions outshot the Red Storm, 11-2, including eight shots in the second half.
Penn State outscored its opponents 7-0 in preseason play, while fans in attendance saw eight newcomers take the field for the first time against an opponent. Curran and Bollinger both tallied their first two goals in a Penn State uniform, while Bersano and Robby Sagel (Las Vegas, Nev.) helped lead a powerful backline for the Nittany Lions. Also making their first appearances were redshirt-freshmen Ryan Gallagher (Pine Bush, N.Y.), Dani Marks (Ra'anana, Israel) and Noah Pilato (Oak Hill, Va.), while true freshman Brennan Ireland (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Austin Maloney (Harrisburg, Pa.), Travis Keil (Bear Creek, Pa.) and Wes Bergevin (Hinsdale, Ill.) also made their first appearances for Penn State. Finally, junior transfer Malik Cameron (Bronx, N.Y.) played a significant role in the Penn State offense this past week.
To conclude the preseason, Coach Warming announced the 2015 team captains on Tuesday morning with senior Brian James (Sunrise, Fla.), Maloney and Marks all earning the honor. James led the Big Ten in assists during the 2014 campaign, while Maloney is the reigning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. After utilizing his redshirt season due to injury in 2014, Marks will look to make a big impact on a fresh backline for the Nittany Lions in 2015.
Penn State kicks off the 2015 season Friday, Aug. 28 when they take on San Francisco in their season opener. Match time at Jeffrey Field is slated for 5:30 p.m. The match is the first of a two-game opening weekend as Navy comes to 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.