UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The second year of the Bob Warming era at Penn State officially got under way on Thursday morning when the 2011 edition of the Nittany Lion men’s soccer team took to the pitch for the opening practice of preseason training camp.
Penn State returns 11 letterwinners and five starters from last year’s squad that won 14 games, played for the Big Ten Tournament title, and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Championship. Among those back in action were top returning goal scorer, sophomore forward Jordan Tyler (Rochester, Mich.), and assist leader, senior midfielder Mackenzie Arment (Manheim, Pa.), and back line regulars junior Brian Forgue (Glenmoore, Pa.) and seniors Justin Lee (Derwood, Md.), Mark Fetrow (West Chester, Pa.), and Matt Smallwood (Cochranville, Pa.), the team’s leader in minutes played a year ago.
New faces could also be found at training camp. Changes on Warming’s staff were requisite, as 2010 assistant coaches Jason Mims and Isang Jacob both moved up the ranks to become head coaches at Summit League programs Nebraska Omaha and IUPUI, respectively. Patrolling the sidelines at Jeffrey Field in 2011 alongside Warming will be Bo Oshoniyi, a former assistant at ACC power Wake Forest, and Chad Duernberger, who came to Happy Valley following a highly successful head coaching stint at Division II the University of Charleston.
On the field, a group of 12 talented newcomers, including five transfers, will surely play a key role in Penn State’s fortunes this season. Division I transfers Jacob Barron (La Mirada, Calif.) (UC Davis), Julian Cardona (Lincoln, Neb.) (Butler), and Hasani Sinclair (Coral Gables, Fla.) (South Florida) and a freshmen class highlighted by U-18 national team goalkeeper Andrew Wolverton (Snellville, Ga.) will look to make an immediate impact.
Penn State will make its 2011 debut on Tues., Aug. 16 when it hosts Hartwick at Jeffrey Field in a 7:30 p.m. exhibition match. The Nittany Lions will open the regular season in University Park on Sat., August 27 with a 7 p.m. contest against Siena as part of their annual home tournament, the Penn State Classic. The game versus the Saints will also mark the beginning of Bob Warming’s 2011 quest for 400 career wins. Entering the season with 397 victories, Warming is bidding to become just the 30th coach in the history of Division I men’s soccer to reach the milestone.