Sept. 1, 2016
By Zach Reagan, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - After last week's West Coast swing, the Penn State men's soccer team takes to the Jeffrey Field pitch for the first time this season 7:00 p.m. Friday night against James Madison.
The Nittany Lion contingent looks to bounce back from a physically taxing cross-country trip and pair of games in California. The trip saw Penn State record an impressive draw in double overtime with Stanford, the defending 2015 NCAA champions, before losing 2-1 in a tough battle with UC Berkeley.
Home opening games are a unique aspect in sports. They hold sentimental value for some players as they play their last one, while for others it will be the first time they get to play in front of their home crowd as first-year players. Either way, the team gets the opportunity to compete in an environment that they are familiar with. With an electric home atmosphere like the one at "The Jeff", it's hard to not get excited for the home debut of the team.
Head coach Bob Warming takes great pride in the privilege of coaching the team on such a special field. When asked about the significance of Jeffrey Field, the seventh-year Penn State coach had endless amounts of positive rave reviews. "Everything, it's the history," said Warming. "It's named after arguably the greatest coach of soccer in American history, Bill Jeffrey, who upset England in the 1950 World Cup in Brazil."
"It's a tradition of all of the great players who've played on the field before. We've had soccer for 106 seasons, said Warming. "There are a lot of people who came before us and we owe it to them, our current players, students and fans to give it our best effort. That's what makes it special."
Warming sure knows how to get his teams to perform in home debuts. He owns an undefeated 6-0 record in home openers, and his Nittany Lions have outscored opponents 9-1 in the last six years in their first home game of the season. The Nittany Lions have not given up a goal in a home opener since Warming's inaugural season in 2010, when they beat Bucknell 2-1.
Not only is the "general" of the team pumped, senior Mason Klerks and true freshman Pierre Reedy are excited for the opportunity to get the 11-game home slate underway. Klerks, a California native, will get to play technically another "home opener" after the team's trip to his home state for the opening two games of the 2016 season. In California, the three-year starter and the squad received an abundance of support from Klerks' family.
"It felt like it was a home game for me and our team," said Klerks.
When asked about beginning his final campaign at "The Jeff" and his overall outlook on the team, the veteran said, "One last time, it's awesome. I can't wait to play there again I'm making every moment count and I'm just enjoying my last year. I feel like we can be great this year."
On the complete opposite side of the experience spectrum of Klerks is Reedy. He'll be making his first home appearance garnering the blue and white in front of the Penn State faithful. He's been waiting for that moment since his recruitment out of Kutztown, Pa. He joked about the small population of his rural hometown and the handful of people at his games in high school were parents of the players.
"I never played in front of a big crowd in high school like how the crowd will be Friday night because soccer wasn't a main attraction in my town," said Reedy. I've been to a couple games last fall and seeing the atmosphere and the fans...I'm really just excited to start playing at home."
Friday's game against James Madison starts a four-game home stretch for the Nittany Lions at Jeffrey Field. The following game is Monday, Sept. 5 when the Nittany Lions take on Oakland.
For more information on Nittany Lion men's soccer, log onto www.GoPSUsports.com and follow the team on the various social media platforms.