Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/83706
NO TE BOOK MEN'S SOCCER on eve of Big Ten season Penn State built some momentum Lions stifle Adelphi heading into its Big Ten season with a 3-0 shutout of visiting Adelphi on Sept. 16. Mikey Minutillo, Daniel Burnham and Kelton Cheney each tallied a goal for the Lions (5-1-1) in the win over the Panthers (1-6-0). Minutillo's first-half goal was his first as a Nittany Lion, while Cheney, a freshman from State College, scored the first goal of his collegiate career. In addition, redshirt freshman Kyle MacDonald earned his first col- legiate point with an assist on Ch- eney's scoring play. WOMEN'S SOCCER in return to PSU Eleventh-ranked Penn State (6-2-0, 1-0-0) ended a three-year winless stretch against Wisconsin by defeat- ing the No. 13 Badgers, 2-1, Sept. 16 at Jeffrey Field. In her first game back since win- Hayes scores goal ning the U-20 World Cup, junior Maya Hayes gave the Nittany Lions a 2-0 advantage with a goal 2:36 into the second half. WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL Nittany Lions romp to tournament title The fourth-ranked Nittany Lions (10-1) finished the Penn State Clas- sic 3-0 with a closing 3-0 (25-14, 25- 14, 25-16) victory against Eastern Illinois. Junior Katie Slay was named the Penn State Classic MVP, while freshman Megan Courtney and soph- omore Lacey Fuller earned spots on the All-Tournament team. WALK-ON CONTINUED FROM 36 said. "I wanted to play college football, but when something like that hap- pens, you don't know if you're going to be able to. It was tough, but things happen. You've gotta live with it. Now I see it as a blessing in disguise, be- cause I don't know if I'd be at Penn State if that hadn't happened." Day went on to become a special teams fixture, playing in 25 games his sophomore and junior seasons. When the new coaching staff arrived this past winter, he made sure he was giving maximum effort in the weight room, the practice field and in meetings. "I wanted these coaches PAST CONTINUED FROM 52 Higgins and his alumni friends knew he needed more than volunteers – walk-ons in today's vernacular – to win games. Led by western Pennsyl- vania businessman Casey Jones, Hig- gins' closest friend and one-time team- mate, and Dunmore High School prin- cipal Jim Gilligan, they devised a fi- nancial aid scheme to recruit good students who were also good athletes. The crux of the plan was to find the young men jobs to help them pay for their books, tuition and housing. Per- haps it wasn't within the spirit of the de-emphasis policy, but it worked. The first of those "recruits" actually began trickling onto campus in 1932 and were ready to play the following year. Many of those kids from the steel towns and coal mining villages to know how much I care about this team, and that I wanted to contribute to winning football games," he said. "So I made sure I was giving a full ef- fort every day." Day was asked recently whether he thought his play was sending a message to high school prospects about their chances of having a good career at Penn State despite the harsh NCAA sanctions and the need to shed scholarships. "I haven't really thought about it," he said, "but hope- fully [Penn State] can use me as an example. My message to players is just to work as hard as you can. Give it everything you have every day, and you'll be rewarded." of Pennsylvania were so talented they would go on to be selected to All- America teams and/or play profes- sional football. Center-linebacker Chuck Cherundolo of Old Forge (1934- 36) had a solid 10-year career in the NFL, and in 1940 another center- linebacker, Leon Gajecki of Colver (1938-40), became Penn State's first first-team All-American in 17 years. After 1932, there were two more losing seasons for Higgins, in 1936 and 1938, but Penn State would not have another one until 1988. By 1940, Penn State was an Eastern power again, and in 1947 the team went undefeated, finished fourth in the na- tion and played in the Cotton Bowl. Scholarships were reinstated two years later, and Engle and Paterno would take Penn State football to even greater glory.