August 25th, 2009

2009 Penn State Harrisburg Men´s Soccer Preview

Coming off their second straight North Eastern Athletic Conference playoff appearance, the Lions look to replace a group of talented seniors which included three NEAC all-conference players, Justin Sheaffer, Vedran Divkovic and David Little, as well as, Penn State Harrisburg´s first four year male student-athlete, Michael Marion. Although they will be greatly missed, there are 12 returning players along with a highly skilled recruiting class to step up for the upcoming season

"I´m looking for our solid recruiting class to replace our graduates", said head coach Mark Brown, set to enter his fifth season. "It´s hard to single out just one newcomer. They all bring a high level of technical skills with the experience to back up their play", replies Brown when asked who will be their impact newcomer.

Among these newcomers are Caleb Hoppes (Harrisburg, PA/Middletown), Tyson Wright (York, PA/Northeastern), Anthony Ciocci (Lower Paxton, PA/Bishop McDevitt), Jordan Hoffsmith (Annville, PA/Palmyra), Chris Ertle (Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown), Charlie Hyson (Bel Air, MD/Caluert Hall College), Ryan Knight (Annville, PA/Palmyra), Joel Smith (Palmyra, PA/Palmyra), James Nolte Jr. (Camp Hill, PA/ Camp Hill), Jeffrey Malosiecki (Upper Black Eddy, PA/Palisades), Jonathan Joseph (Hiramar, FL/Summerset Academy), Nik Light (Jonestown, PA/Northern Lebanon), Ernest Ntiamoah (Philadelphia, PA/North East), Dillon Sobilo (Arcata, CA/Arcata), and Mike Urich (Lewisberry, PA/Red Land).

The 2008 Lions finished 9-8 overall which was their first winning season since entering NCAA Division III. The blue and white return NEAC all-conference performers, Danny Francis (Pottstown, PA/Owen J. Roberts) and Joshua Christ (Ephrata, PA/Living Word Academy), who registered a combined 13 of Penn State Harrisburg´s 36 goals in 17 games. Goalkeeper, Toan Ngo (Mechanicsburg, PA/Cumberland Valley), who recorded six shutouts, returns to a defense who only allowed 5.29 shots on goal per match last season. Sophomore forward, Josh Clinger (East Petersburg, PA/Hempfield) looks to improve on his performance of four goals and two assists in just 11 games. Returning to the Lions are Jorge Avila (Harrisburg, PA/Central Dauphin East), Daniel Guillen (San Jose, Costa Rica/American Community), Eli Saenz (Akron, PA/Ephrata), Chad Guenthner (Palmyra, PA/Palmyra), Brennan Stamm (Middletown, PA/Middletown), Jeff Duke (Selinsgrove, PA/Lebanon) and Josh McMahon (Harrisburg, PA/Bishop McDevitt).

"The team is very solid, knowledgeable and gritty with the technical skills and experience to move this program forward. I expect everyone on the team to step up and make an impact in some way this season. We are looking to be a top spot contender and make a run at the NEAC championship."

The first half of the season consists of seven out of nine home games with only one home game in the second part of the season. "I wanted my freshmen to get settled into the college life. Being on the road tends to take away from some of their college experience," said Brown. The limit travel from the first half of the season sets up the team for the second half. This should allow the Lions to be fresh and ready to make a run at the programs first NEAC championship.

NEAC associate member, University of Dallas, looks to repeat their championship run after a dominating performance in 2008. Keuka College will pursue their third NEAC tournament championship in the past six years. Joining the NEAC for the 2009 season are newcomers, Penn State Abington and SUNY Morrisville.

The Lions open the 2009 season at home against Valley Forge Christian College on Tuesday, September 1st at 6:00 P.M.