UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The No. 18-ranked Penn State men’s soccer team was selected to place third in the 2011 Big Ten Preseason Coaches’ Poll, the conference office announced on Tuesday. In addition, seniors Mackenzie Arment (Manheim, Pa.) and Matt Smallwood (Cochranville, Pa.) and sophomore Jordan Tyler (Rochester, Mich.) were named to the "Players to Watch" list.
Defending Big Ten regular season champion Indiana was chosen as the conference favorite while Ohio State was voted second. Michigan was picked to place fourth followed by Michigan State, Northwestern, and Wisconsin, respectively.
Second year head coach Bob Warming, who enters the season just three wins shy of 400 for his career, returns 11 letterwinners and five starters from a 2010 squad that won 14 games, played for the Big Ten Tournament title, and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Championship. Bolstering the roster is a top 25-ranked recruiting class which includes three Division I and two junior college transfers.
Arment (2 goals, 9 assists), a midfielder, and Tyler (5 goals, 3 assists), a forward, are Penn State’s leading returning scorers, tying for third on the team in 2010 with 13 points each. Smallwood, who will serve as team captain for the 2011 season, led the Nittany Lions in minutes played a year ago as anchor of the back line.
Penn State finished the 2011 preseason with an undefeated 2-0 record, downing Hartwick, 3-1, and Towson, 1-0. Junior forward Hasani Sinclair (Coral Gables, Fla.) led the Lions with two goals while Arment and junior midfielder Daniel Parr (Hummelstown, Pa.) scored one. In the win over Towson, Freshman goalkeeper Andrew Wolverton (Snellville, Ga.) earned a shutout in his first collegiate start, recording seven saves.
The Nittany Lions begin regular season action this weekend when they welcome No. 15 Ohio State, Siena, and American to Jeffrey Field for the annual Penn State Classic. On the first day of play, Sat., August 27, Ohio State will take on American (4:30 p.m.) to be followed by Penn State facing Siena (7 p.m.). Day two action, scheduled for Mon., August 29, will pit Ohio State versus Siena (3 p.m.) and Penn State against American (7 p.m.).