The men’s soccer squad led a triumphant return of intercollegiate athletics to the college last fall.

Women’s volleyball, fall baseball, and cross country joined soccer as varsity sports were reintroduced at Penn State Harrisburg after an absence of more than a decade.

Coach Mark Brown’s soccer team surprised the league by compiling a 10-3 regular season record and advancing to the conference semi-finals where it dropped a tough 3-2 decision to defending champion Penn College.

The semi-final, played on the Penn State Harrisburg field, saw the home squad shut out the visitors in the second half, but not unable to overcome a 3-1 halftime deficit. PSH got a goal from freshman Omar Andres Palacios (Miami, Fla.) in the first half and a score from sophomore Daniel Saenz (Ephrata, Pa.) in the second.

The squad was paced during the year by freshman defender Brian Clements (Highland Park. Ill.) who booted home 15 goals and added five assists. Senior forward Afolabi Oyelowo (Harrisburg) added eight goals and an assist and Saenz chipped in with six goals and a team-leading seven assists.

A number of outstanding performances highlighted the fall schedule of the baseball team which compiled a 4-9 mark as it prepared for the spring portion of its slate which begins April 1 with a doubleheader at home against New Kensington.

Sophomore catcher Matt Carroll (Lemoyne, Pa.) was the offensive leader for coach Bob Mashmeyer, batting at a .455 clip to pace the squad and tying for the top in runs (11) and hits (15). Teammate Chris Blazi (Middletown) led in RBIs with 10 and tied for the lead in runs and hits.

Freshman pitcher Wesley Erdman (Halifax, Pa.) compiled a 2-1 record and a 4.55 earned run average in 18 innings while another freshman, Greg Yetter (Steelton) was 1-2 with a team-leading 28 innings on the mound.

Coach Kevin Larkin’s women’s volleyball team got off to a slow start, but finished strong. Reflecting on the season, Larkin said, “The season began with a few losses, but after spending valuable time on the court, the team became more comfortable playing together and its record improved.”

He points out that “as the second half of the season began, we would have the opportunity to again play teams that defeated us early on. We played at a higher level, taking Mont Alto and York to decisive third games before losing and then defeating Delaware County in three.”

With a 6-6 mark, the team entered the conference playoffs where it began by stopping Hazleton in two straight games. “We then took on Beaver and lost the first game, but came back to win the second, forcing a third game. We fell behind 8-0, but battled back to tie the score at 13-13 before losing the final two points and ending our season.”

Statistical leaders were sophomore Jayme Michael (Bellefonte) with 62 kills and 56 aces, junior Verna Kanova (Harrisburg) with 119 assists, and senior Alexis Campbell (Highspire) with 57 blocks.