UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- The Penn State Nittany Lions will begin the 2018 season at home against the UCF Knights on Friday, August 24 at 7 p.m at Jeffrey Field.
The Nittany Lions start their 2018 campaign under new head coach, Jeff Cook. Coach Cook has 27 years of coaching experience, but said there is no place like Penn State during Tuesday's annual Penn State Fall Sports Media Day press conference. Coach Cook sat alongside senior Brennan Ireland and redshirt senior Ryan Gallagher to kick off the 2018 campaign.
"I am more excited about Friday night than I've ever been as a head coach," Cook said. "It's been a pleasure to work with these guys and their teammates during the preseason and it went by in a flash; they worked very hard and very well."
As the team prepares for the upcoming game, here are three key takeaways to look at from their season-opening media day:
The Returners
With 22 players returning for this season, Cook was able to work with the players throughout the spring practice and watch them improve as individuals and as a team. Within those 22, are nine of the Nittany Lions' starters from the 2017 season and four of the team's leading point scorers.
"I would say for us, while we are returning a lot of players, under Coach Cook we've updated our style of play and kind of have this refresh on our team and on our season," said Gallagher. "As a team we are so happy, super confident, and we are so excited for Friday."
With a new coach, Gallagher emphasized that they may have a lot of returners, but it feels like a brand-new team with a new kind of energy. Although college soccer has different substitution rules than the professionals, the men's soccer coaching staff focuses on showing the players they have belief in them whether they are a starter or go in to play the last 15 minutes of the game.
"We are a group that has a lot of quality," said Cook. "We will use the group over the course of the year and ride the ups and downs of the early season when we're still trying to find our best combinations that pose a threat to opponents."
The Leadership Amongst Upperclassman
With six seniors and ten juniors, Cook knows he has outstanding leadership amongst the upperclassman of the team. During the press conference he emphasized how impressed he was with the senior leadership and the captains.
"I think the commitment that our student athletes demonstrated was very impressive," said Cook. "Any time a new coach takes over a program, there are going to be new ideas, new philosophies, and maybe a different working intensity. I think there is some adaptation and I've praised them for their open-mindedness and their ability to adapt to what we've been asking them to do."
The team will be led by captains Dani Marks and Aaron Molloy.
Playing Fast
The Nittany Lions will focus on playing fast and being explosive throughout the season. Cook explained that he began to saw the quicker play during the end of the spring season earlier this year and has continued to see it during the scrimmages against La Salle, Georgetown, and Pittsburgh this fall.
"When we move the ball quickly, play with quick combination, and get a lot of players involved we can be really effective," said Cook. "When it slows down we get stuck and we don't play as clever."
Penn State will put these key factors to a test during the matchup Friday. Penn State has gone 5-1-1 on opening day since 2011.