After a trip to the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate
Conference finals and an impressive 14-4-2 record a year ago, the 2007 Penn
State Altoona men's soccer team will settle for nothing short of Allegheny
Mountain Collegiate Conference gold. The squad fell to AMCC foe Medaille in
last year's championship game, finished runner up in 2004, and qualified for the
postseason every year since 2002. With 11 returning lettermen and a talented
group of newcomers, seventh year head coach John Parente believes this could be
the team to finally reach the top.
"Without a doubt, this is the best team we've ever had at
Penn State Altoona," said Parente, who has guided the program since its
inception in 2001. "We've been on the brink of a conference championship a
couple of times but have fallen just short. This year's group really wants to
be the team to earn that first title and NCAA Tournament berth."
Expectations for the Lions are also high among Parente's
AMCC coaching colleagues. The Lions were the preseason pick to capture the
conference crown based on the wealth of experience they return. The squad
returns its top three goal scorers from a 2006 unit ranked 15th in the country
in goals scored with 63. Defensively, Altoona was 25th in the country in goals
allowed, surrendering just 13 tallies the entire year. The Lions were also
ranked seven out of a possible 10 weeks in the National Soccer Coaches
Association of America Mid-Atlantic Region poll, climbing as high as 4th
in late October.
After boasting only three seniors in the program's first
six seasons, the 2007 roster has four experienced seniors in Bryan Pierzga, Dan
Saxton, Brock Heller, and JC Campbell. Pierzga has rewritten the Penn State
Altoona record books and has 101 career points to date via 38 goals and 25
assists, all Lion records. The two-time NSCAA Regional All-American and
three-time AMCC first team all-star will be joined on the front lines by
sophomores Tim Morris and Corey Suter, who both had exceptional freshman
campaigns a year ago. Heller, one of the top defenders in the conference, and
Campbell, a midfielder with unlimited shooting range, have played on both AMCC
runner up teams alongside Pierzga and Saxton. Lettermen Will Gray, Nate Shuey,
Alan Pine, Chris Baker, and Evan Cook will provide added depth and experience at
a number of positions.
"Our four seniors have poured their hearts into this
program," noted Parente. "They made a commitment to Penn State Altoona and to
each other, and I think the younger players on this team really respect that and
want to win for them."
New to the scene are 10 highly touted freshmen, three
sophomores, and a junior. The starting goalkeeper will be Clearfield, PA
product Brandon McQuillen, who transferred from Slippery Rock University where
he started 18 games last season. Sophomore Len Castor plays for the Penn State
Altoona basketball team and should get significant minutes at the forward
position. Freshmen Joe Monaco, Kevin Fee, Nate Brindle, and Brinton Satterfield
will fight for starting jobs and, with their fellow classmates, will lay the
foundation for the future.
"New players are the life force of Penn State Altoona,"
asserted Parente. "They will always have an impact and will always be a reason
for our success. This year's group is as talented an incoming class as we've
ever had, and I'm looking forward to watching them develop their skills and help
us reach our goals."
Standing in the way will be the usual AMCC suspects and a
brutal non-conference slate that features a number of difficult road contests.
2006 conference champion Medaille along with Penn State Behrend, Lake Erie,
Frostburg State, and La Roche will have legitimate shots to derail the Lions'
hopes. The Medaille, Lake Erie, and Frostburg State games will all be on the
road. Non-conference tests include early season trips to Presidents Athletic
Conference powers Grove City and Waynesburg and games against Fredonia State and
Mount Union at the Fredonia State Tournament. A two hour drive to Pittsburgh
and nationally ranked Carnegie Mellon University also awaits the Lions, who will
meet regional contender Scranton University at a neutral site in mid-September.
"The amazing thing about our schedule and specifically
soccer in the AMCC is that every game is a challenge," said Parente.
"Obviously, we have a difficult slate this season, but our players are looking
forward to the challenges and rewards that go with them."
Parente will be assisted by Patrick Taylor, who enters his
sixth year on staff. The Lions open the season on August 31 at Grove City
College.
