MIDDLETOWN, Pa – Penn State Harrisburg's men's soccer team is coming off one of the best seasons in the program's history.  After finishing a rocky 6-12 in 2009, the Lions fell one penalty kick short of earning a berth in the NCAA Division III championship tournament one year ago.  With a strong group of players from last year's squad back this this season, they'll look not only to duplicate their recent success, but build on it, break through and win the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) championship in 2011.

The group of returnees is headed up by senior defenseman and all-conference first team selection Brendan Garner (Harrisburg, PA/Central Dauphin).  Also back are second team all-conference selections and seniors Caleb Hoppes (Harrisburg, PA/ Middletown), another defenseman, and forward Ian Lake (Mechanicsburg, PA/Cedar Cliff).  A pair of midfielders in junior Dillon Sobilo (Eureka, CA/Arcata High) andsophomore Justin Henderson (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill HS East) earned all-conference third team selection status in 2010, as did sophomore Josh Wolff (Christiana, PA/Octorara), who will once again tend goal for the blue and white.

Second year Head Coach Lester Felician expects team captains Garner, Hoppes and Sobilo, along with senior forward Ian Lake (Mechanicsburg, PA/Cedar Cliff), to set the tone and provide team leadership now that they have plenty of experience under their belts.

It's the new guys who will be looking to quickly learn Felician's system in hopes of contributing right away.  Four freshmen and a sophomore transfer in Kyle Schneider (Harrisburg, PA/Palmyra), who Felician says already understands the game plan,will all have the chance to see playing time in their first season on campus.

Felician mentioned getting his younger players acclimated and integrated into his team's system as one of the main focuses of preseason practices.  The other? 

"Conditioning."

In a conference that the coach said has plenty of competition that the Lions cannot take lightly, games can be won and lost in the crucial final minutes.  It's no secret that teams with the most gas left in the tank tend to rise to the occasion and pick up valuable victories by simply surviving the demanding NEAC showdowns.

"Every game will be very challenging, just like last year," said Felician.  "Each team will be tough and we have to take them seriously."

It's those tough teams that stand between Penn State Harrisburg and its ultimate goals: a conference crown and automatic qualification for the Division III tournament.  After being so close to accomplishing both last fall, Felician made it clear that he expects his team to be in the thick of the title race again this season.

"Obviously we want to win the NEAC conference," he said.  "I think all the players will fulfill their roles on the team.  We were very successful last season and if we can push harder than we did last year, I think we can get it done."

When asked if there were any other expectations he had for the upcoming campaign, Felician responded not with coaching strategies or a "win at any cost" attitude, but with a refreshing statement about the enjoyment of the game.

"I want us to play attractive soccer," he said.  "I want us to play the game in such a way that the fans will enjoy and the players will have fun."

If the Lions perform on the pitch this season as successfully as they did a year ago, there's no doubt that the fans and players alike will have plenty to smile about.