MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – If you haven't heard by now, Penn State Harrisburg has left the building; that building being the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC). This season, the Blue & White is taking a step up in competition by joining the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC). That jump will be a common theme for each of the school's athletics programs throughout the 2013-14 season. The men's soccer team, however, will be one of the first squads to take the plunge as the Lions 2013 home opener is just hours away.
While Penn State Harrisburg's soon-to-be rivals present a bit of an unknown this fall, one thing that the Lions can count on is experience. The men return 15 players from last year's squad, including 2012 leading-scorer and NEAC third-team all-conference selection in senior Justin Henderson (Cherry Hill, N.J. / Cherry Hill East) and fellow senior and third-team all-conference honoree in Tommy Miller (Palmyra, Pa. / Palmyra Area). The Lions will get senior leadership from another familiar face in Nana Nyantekyi (Howell, N.J. / Freehold Township).
Also back are juniors Babajide Odusola (Harrisburg, Pa. / Middletown Area), Jon Willingham (Harrisburg Pa. / Sci-Tech High), Ricardo Quintana (Toluco, Mexico / Avon Grove), Austin Achenbach (Schaefferstown, Pa. / ELCO), Michael Jones (Harrisburg, Pa. / Central Dauphin) and Matthew Hyson (Bel Air, Md. / Calvert Hall) and sophomores Deven Gerhart (Newmanstown, Pa. / ELCO), Claudius Taylor (Landover, Md. / Hammond), Grey Beatty (Harrisburg, Pa. / Central Dauphin East), Nana Owusu (Accra, Ghana / Tema International School), Jimmy Bilger (Slatington, Pa. / Northern Lehigh) and Isaac Amedza (Philadelphia, Pa. / Samuel Fels).
Expect a pool of newcomers to be thrown in to the mix from the get go as well. Youngsters including freshmen Christian Schmoyer (Allentown, Pa. / Faith Christian Academy), Austin Katz (Lancaster, Pa. / Manheim Township), Jonathan Vanaskie (Shamokin, Pa. / Shamokin Area) and Colby Brown (Harrisburg, Pa. / Central Dauphin) should see extended playing time in 2013, as will sophomore Kurtis Mumma (Mount Joy, Pa. / Donegal) and senior transfer Abdelali El Bar (Harrisburg, Pa. / Central Dauphin East). If these new players can gel with the large group of seasoned veterans at the team's disposal, Penn State Harrisburg could prove to be quite the thorn in its CAC competition's side.
Penn State Harrisburg Men's Soccer:
Head Coach: Seamus Donnelly (second season)
2012 Record: 9-9-2; season ended in the NEAC championship tournament semifinal round…
Key Returners: senior Justin Henderson, senior Tommy Miller, senior Nana Nyantekyi, junior Mike Jones, junior Jon Willingham, sophomore Deven Gerhart, junior Matt Hyson…
Key Newcomers: freshman Christian Schmoyer, freshman Austin Katz, freshman Jonathan Vanaskie, senior Abdelali El Bar, freshman Colby Brown, sophomore Kurtis Mumma…
Captains: Henderson, Miller, Jones…
Circle the date: Saturday, Oct. 19 vs. Mary Washington @ 4 pm
- The Lions mid-October matchup against last year's CAC tournament runner-up will be a great test and barometer in terms of where the Blue & White stands amongst the league's best competition. Coming just two weeks before the 2013 CAC title tournament gets underway, the matchup with the Eagles may also prove to have playoff implications for both squads. If that's not enough, the game is a precursor to Penn State Harrisburg's meeting with defending conference champion and nationally-ranked York (Pa.) just four days later…
Donnelly, the Lions' second-year head coach was asked about his squad's upcoming 2013 campaign. His responses are below.
PENN STATE HARRISBURG: Who do you see as being impact players this fall?
SEAMUS DONNELLY: To be honest, the goal for the year is to see us develop more as a team, both with the ball going forward and when we are defending. There will be players that stand out at times over the course of a season but in both our preseason games it would be very hard for me to pick out one or two who played supremely better than anyone else and that is a good thing.
Who will be the team captains this season?
Justin Henderson will return as captain and Tommy Miller and Mike Jones have also been given armbands. All three have tremendous leadership qualities and have earned the respect of their teammates but we also have a bunch of leaders in that locker room that will help continue the culture we have started to build here at Penn State Harrisburg.
What are your thoughts now that you are no longer a new coach and are instead taking on season number two?
It is a very exciting time at this school right now and I am fortunate to be a part of it. This year's team has started out exceptionally well by coming into preseason in tip-top shape so I am hopeful that this season will be a positive experience for everyone involved in our program.
What are your goals as head coach in your second year?
I truly don't set personal goals to be honest. We are trying to implement an attacking and entertaining style of play here that will make us hard to beat and fun to watch. We are working extremely hard on the training ground to make that happen. We want to win every game we play in, of course, but we want to do it a certain way. Trying to make that happen takes an awful lot of hard work and that takes up too much of my time as a coach to even begin to think of personal goals.
What are your goals and expectations for the team this fall?
We are going into the unknown a little bit like all our other teams by joining the CAC and we realize it will be a challenging year. It is impossible to predict where we may end up but I do know that the group of boys that we have will give everything they have in every game we play. It is going to be an adventure for us all, but we are determined to give a good account of ourselves.
Based on what you've seen so far this season, what do you think are your squad's greatest strengths?
I believe our strengths are the overall attitude of the team in terms of the work they put in on the training ground. This is a humble and hardworking group that wants to play the game the right way and wants to earn the respect of the soccer community at large. If we get our fair share of breaks along the way then I am very hopeful that we will achieve exactly that and maybe more.
Penn State Harrisburg hosts Valley Forge Christian in the second game of a women's/men's doubleheader tomorrow night, Sep. 5 in the Lions' 2013 home opener.