12 I Friday, Oct. 1, 2010
Midfielder Christine Naim (left) pushes the ball vs. Dartmouth
Soccer rivals putting last
season in rear view mirror
By Alex Angert
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
If there’s one team Ali Schaefer
wants to beat, it’s this one.
Maybe it’s because of the red
card her teammate received in
last year’s match. Maybe it’s
because the year before it packed
it in once it got a lead. Or maybe
it’s just because it’s Ohio State.
With the Lions traveling to
Columbus to face the hated—yet
respected Buckeyes at 3 p.m.
Sunday, both teams have made it
a point to say there is no bad
blood or carried over angst.
However, that still doesn’t
change how much Penn State
wants to beat its rivals.
“With every team in the Big
Ten there is so much rivalry,”
Schaefer said, "but Ohio State is
one of those main dogs that you
just don’t feel good, but rather
glad when you beat them.”
Last year’s showdown against
the Buckeyes featured four book
ings, including a red card to the
now graduated Tara Davies for
shoving an Ohio State player in
the back.
And though that game was
intense on both sides, each head
coach said they aren’t focused on
the past and are only looking for
som. good si.ccer from botn
schools.
“From a perspective of who is
the team Ohio State resoects the
most in conference, it's Penn
State,” Buckeyes coach Lori
Walker said. "I would think that
feeling is mutual. For us, it’s
always a clean slate. It’s always a
new season and a new game.”
Walker added she is excited to
se#What Penn State has to bring
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once in the last seven days
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to their house this season.
Knowing the team always brings
its ‘A’ game, she said the rivalry
typically ends up being a ‘funny
matchup,’ as anything can occur.
In Penn State’s upset victory
last year, Walker ended the game
with four attackers and four mid
fielders in hopes of tying the
game. Compared to the year
before, she recalls ending that
game with six on the backline and
four midfielders as the team held
on to its lead.
This year, she expects yet
another classic Buckeye-Nittany
Lion clash.
“I always feel with the Ohio
State-Penn State match, it’s not
the physical match that makes
the difference, it’s the soccer,”
Walker said. “We always feel that
Penn State is going to show up
and play their best soccer. And
certainly that's our responsibility
to do the same.”
As for Penn State coach Erica
Walsh, she knows what to expect
from Ohio State, too a team
that is big, strong and confident.
The Buckeyes come into the
game with a 7-2-1 record and a 2-
0 victory against Michigan in
their Big Ten opener. Penn State,
meanwhile, is fresh off a pivotal,
hard fought win against Michigan
State and is looking to carry over
the momentum to Columbus.
“This is going to be a battle,”
Walsh said. "What we saw this
past weekend is going to shy in
comparison to how physical this
game is going to be. They are
strong. They are going to push
you down, and we have to be
ready to compete physically.”
To e-mail reporter: adal47@psu.edu
SPORTS
leers prepare for Pittsburgh
By Anthony Barton
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
As the Penn State leers roll into
Pittsburgh this weekend for their
first two regular season games,
coach Scott
Balboni wants his
players to show
him one thing
to demonstrate
their understand-
ing of his system.
In preparation
for the Panthers
(1-i), Balboni said Balboni
the leers have
focused on playing their own
game in practice and are worry
ing less about what Pittsburgh
brings to the table.
He said if they achieve that,
they will return to State College
with a sweep in the opening
series.
“I’m looking for us to start
working on our system as a
whole, for us to start putting what
we’ve been working on practice
into play and that we come out
with a good, hard effort each
night,” Balboni said.
Balboni said he will look for
defensemen who played a mini
mal role during last season to
Women’s golf looks to continue home success
By Katie Montgomery
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
After three straight games on
the road the members of the
Penn State women’s golf team
are relieved to
finally be able to
sleep in their own
beds this week
end
With the third
annual Nittany
Lion Invitational
starting with a 36-
hole competition St. Pierre
teeing off at 8:30
Saturday morning on the univer
sity’s Blue Course, the team is
preparing to welcome 16 other
schools. Of the 16 other teams,
coach Denise St. Pierre said the
College of Charleston and Rollins
College will be Penn State’s
biggest competition in the tourna
ment, which will conclude with its
final round at 9 a.m. Sunday.
step up and help fill the vacancy
left by now graduated defensive
players Steve Thurston and John
Conte.
As for the forwards, he said the
leers have a veteran group he
expects to play mistake-free
hockey.
“I expect [the forwards] to pick
up right where they left off from
last year,” Balboni said.
One of those forwards, junior
assistant captain Paul Daley,
hopes the team will get off on the
right foot.
“I just want to see us play a
good all-around game,” Daley
said.
“Hopefully we’ll score a bunch
of goals and play solid defensively,
and I expect our goaltenders to
play solid.”
The leers have defeated the
Panthers eight consecutive
times, outscoring them 71-11 in
the process.
Sophomore forward and assis
tant captain Eric Steinour
expects the leers to show a little
rust, but said it’s good to work out
the kinks earlier rather than later
in order to be ready for top con
tending teams down the road this
season.
For some players, heading to
Despite the team finishing in
second place in the 2008-09 and
2009-10 invitationals, senior Gia
Eanelli is confident Penn State
will come out on top this year.
“I have full confidence that
we’re going to win,” Eanelli said.
“It’s our home course so we’ve
played it more than [the other
teams] have and we all feel com
fortable out here and we want to
win.”
This will be Eanelli’s fourth
competition this year. Currently
her best performance was at the
Cincinnati Classic, where she
shot her best three-round score
of the year of 223.
Though this is her first year
competing in the invitational,
freshman Ellen Ceresko echoes
Fanelli’s assurance.
“[There’s less] pressure just
because I’m playing home and I
know the course,” Ceresko said.
“But you also have that expecta
tion of doing well since you’re on
The Daily Collegian
Pittsburgh will be a homecoming.
Senior forward and assistant
captain Tim O’Brien, a Bethel
Park native, said it’s always great
to return to the place where he
grew up.
“It’s good to go back home and
watch the university you followed
as a kid,” O’Brien said.
“It’s always been a big rivalry
with Pitt and Penn State for as
many years as I can remember,
so it’s always fun playing Pitt.”
Balboni agreed the rivalry
between the schools will definite
ly play a factor into the game.
“I think we’ll fall into that Pitt-
Penn State rivalry right off the bat
so they won’t like us as soon as we
walk in the door,” Balboni said. “I
expect them to be tough, physical
games.”
Overall, captain forward Marek
Polidor said the main thing the
leers want to focus on this week
end is playing system-based
hockey, their forecheck and their
defensive zone coverage.
“I think the team is looking
really strong we keep getting bet
ter every day, " Polidor said.
“From what I see in practice, I
think it will be no problem.”
To e-mail reporter: acbsls2@psu.edu
“I have full
confidence that
we’re going to win.”
your own course and you should
play well.”
Ceresko will get the chance to
add to her short list of accom
plishments, a list that includes
the team-best two-day score of
147 (2-over par) in the Starmount
Fall Classic this past week.
Though the starting players
were not released as of press time,
St. Pierre said all of her golfers will
get a chance to hit the course this
weekend. “Every player on my
team that’s capable, healthy and
not injured will play in the tourna
ment,” St. Pierre said.
To e-mail reporter: kems23B@psu.edu
Gia Fanelli