Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1505736
5 0 S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M MEN'S SOCCER: The Nittany Lions were buoyed in the offseason by the return of four key fifth-year seniors. Goalkeepers Kris Shakes and Owen Elliott, forward Liam Butts and defender Alex Stevenson are back in hope of leading Penn State to the top of the Big Ten. Butts has totaled 22 goals and 50 points in his 63 games to date and returned to State College despite having been selected with the 33rd overall pick in the Major League Soccer SuperDraft by the San Jose Earthquakes. "Liam has enjoyed a fantastic career so far, and this fifth season provides an opportunity for him to establish himself as one of the truly great strikers to ever play for Penn State," head coach Jeff Cook said. Shakes has been Penn State's starting goalkeeper for the past three seasons and has 16 career shutouts and a .765 save percentage. Elliott, mean- while, has made six starts in goal during that same span, while Stevenson has been a stalwart on the backline with 64 appearances and 52 starts. The Lions open their regular season Aug. 24 at Pitt. They are coming off a 2022 season in which they finished 6-6-4 overall and 3-2-3 in Big Ten play. WOMEN'S SOCCER: The Nittany Lions are ranked No. 10 in the preseason United Soccer Coaches Association poll, and they won't have to wait long to find out how they stack up against the top teams in the country. Penn State opens its campaign on Aug. 17 when it plays host to second-ranked North Carolina. The matchup against the 21-time national champion Tar Heels will be a formidable test, and the schedule features six other opponents that were either ranked or received votes in the preseason coaches' poll, including Big Ten rivals Michigan State (17th), Northwestern (18th), Rutgers (RV) and Nebraska (RV). Coming off a 15-5-3 overall finish and Big Ten Tournament championship in 2022, Penn State returns graduate goalkeeper Katherine Asman and super senior midfielders Kate Wiesner and Cori Dyke, all of whom will be captains this fall. The Lions have also made significant additions via the transfer portal. Senior forward Rebecca Cooke led Division I with 51 points on 22 goals and 7 assists while playing for Quinnipiac last season. Super senior midfielder Rowan Lapi was a second-team All-Big Ten midfielder at Northwestern in 2022, while super senior defender Michela Agresti was a four-year starter at Boston College. FIELD HOCKEY: It's a new era for Penn State. Lisa Bervinchak Love has taken over as head coach following Char Morett-Curtiss's retirement in February. Morett-Curtiss had led PSU since 1987, but Bervinchak Love is steeped in the program's culture as a former Penn State player and long- time assistant coach at her alma mater. The Nittany Lions are coming off one of their best seasons. They finished 17-4 last year, claiming the Big Ten regular-season title with a 7-1 confer- ence record and advancing to the NCAA Tournament semifinals. Among the standouts returning from last year's team are senior forward Sophia Gladieux, super senior midfielder Mackenzie Allessie and graduate goalkeeper Brie Barraco. Gladieux led Penn State last season with 23 goals, including 7 game-win- ners. She was the Big Ten Player of the Year and a first-team All-American. Allessie finished the 2022 season with 12 goals and a team-high 18 assists. She was a first-team All-Big Ten choice and a second-team All- American. Barraco received a first-team All-America nod after a senior season in which she posted a 1.17 goals-against average with 8 shutouts. Penn State opens its season Aug. 25 at Virginia. The first home game of PSU's new coaching era will be Sept. 8 against Kent State. CROSS COUNTRY: The Nittany Lions typically have two home meets — the Spiked Shoe Invitational and Penn State National Open — but they will host only the former this season due to scheduling conflicts. Nevertheless, coach John Gondak has high hopes for both the men's and women's teams. "We are very excited for the 2023 Penn State cross country season," Gondak said. "We return a veteran women's team and a men's team that gained some great experience last year." The men were ninth at last year's Big Ten Championships and sixth at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals. Senior Behailu Bekele-Arcuri is back after finishing second among Penn State's contingent at the conference champi- onship meet and 47th overall with a time of 25:06.1 over the 8-kilometer course. He was third at NCAA Regionals and 41st overall, posting a 10K time of 31:15.6. Also returning is junior Brendan Colwell, Penn State's top finisher in the season-opening Dolan Duals at Lock Haven and at the Spiked Shoe Invita- tional. In addition, Colwell was the team's second-place finisher at NCAA Regionals (35th overall, 31:00.2). On the women's side, Penn State was sixth at Big Tens and fifth at the NCAA Regionals a year ago. Senior Faith DeMars is back after pacing the PSU contingent in four of six races. She was tops among Nittany Lion run- ners and 21st overall at regionals, covering the 6K course in 20:55.7. — Matt Herb Sophia Gladieux is back for her senior season after scoring 23 goals and winning Big Ten Player of the Year honors last fall. PHOTO COURTESY PENN STATE ATHLETICS F A L L S P O R T S O U T L O O K