8 I WEDNESDAY, OCT. 6, 2010
Darnel Bon Collegian
Garry Gilliam (89) fights off tacklers vs. Temple.
Team struggling at Jeffrey
By Andrew Robinson
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
Last year, Jeffrey Field was
a fortress in the regular sea
son.
Every team
that came to MEN'S
State College SOCCER
to play the
Penn State
men's soccer team left without
a win and none scored more
than one goal.
This year, there are a few
cracks in the armor. The
Nittany Lions are only 2-2 at
home and their two wins have
been wild 4-3 affairs against
teams they were expected to
Freshman
By Emily Kaplan
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
There are certain things
Colorado native Erica Denney
had trouble adjusting to when she
first came to
Penn State.
Not many of WOMEN'S
her peers under- VOLLEYBALL
stood when she
slipped West
roast slang into casual conversa
tion. She missed talking about the
mountains and valleys from
home. And she didn't get what the
big deal about Wegman's was.
But for Denney, any regional
discrepancies don't seem to mat
ter when she's with her team-
Christine Reckner/Collegian
Clay Steadman (left) takes on a teammate during practice last spring.
SPOPTS
Philadelphia vs. Cincinnati
5:07 p.m., TBS
New York Yankees at Minnesota
8:37 p.m., TBS
TRIW
Q: When did Derek Lowe last start a
playoff game?
Monday's answer 1993 in England.
easily put away.
"It's pretty inexplicable. We
have no idea why," senior co
captain Drew Cost said.
"We're not as organized, we're
giving some free kick goals
and we've had a couple 4-3's at
home and a 3-2. I don't know
why, we just gotta get better at
home."
Under new head coach Bob
Warming, the Lions have put a
major emphasis on turning
around their road record. That
has been a success so far, with
the team currently owning a 4-
1 record away from Jeffrey
Field.
But the Lions dropped their
home opener, 2-1, to Bucknell
trio from Colorado share bond
mates on the No.
4 Penn State
women's volley
ball team.
Right there
with her, also
making the nearly
2,000-mile jour
ney, are two fellow Longo
Centennial State
girls who live in
an 18-mile radius.
Denney is one of three fresh
men along with Ali Longo and
Mikinzie Moydell -- on the No. 4
Nittany Lions' roster who hail
from Colorado. And though the
trio didn't always plan on ending
up in State College, they say
they've relied on each other to
Goalie happy after transfer
Halfway through last year, Micah Collins
realized Villanova just wasn't the right fit
for him.
After all, his mother, father and sister had
all attended Penn State and he didn't see
eye-to-eye with his coach. Now in State
College as a reserve goalkeeper on the
Penn State men's soccer team, Collins
couldn't be happier.
"I can't complain about everything. I love
everything,'" Collins said. "My dad played
soccer here and my mom played basketball
here, plus my sister..."
To read the rest of Andrew Robinson's
story, check out psucollegian.com.
4
I ioof
*piof
Collegian file photo
Curtis Drake looks downfield vs. Indiana last season.
on Sept. 10 after dominating
the game but giving up two
goals on set pieces. The next
game, a 4-3 win over
Binghamton took a top-class
goal from Corey Hertzog to get
the result.
"We're getting our opportu
nities and the forwards, we
should be finishing up more,"
Hertzog said. "We're getting
See MEN'S SOCCER, Page 12.
if you go
Men's swan vs. Villaneva
Whew. 7 p.m.
Where: Jeffrey Field
ease the transi
tion both to colle
giate volleyball
and being far
away from home.
"At the begin
ning of the
recruiting pro
cess, I didn't real- Denney
ly want to go East
Coast," Denney
said. "I mean I went to New York
when I was like five, but that's
about it. I didn't feel comfortable
being that far. But having Ali and
Mikinzie here is nice. It's like a
home connection and I don't feel
as homesick"
Denney knew Moydell before
college pretty well, actually.
Wrestlers not focusing on hype
By Ryan Loy and Sean O'Connor
As Cael Sanderson addressed
the Penn State wrestling team
Tuesday prior to practice at the
Lorenzo Wres-
tling Complex, an
WRESTLING
abundance of
stared back at him
Despite a roster comprise d of 20
true or redshirt freshme 1, the
Nittany Lions enter the 2010-11
Steph 'Collegian
Cost (8) fights off a Villanova player in April.
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
Offense putting in work
The sky above the practice field covered
the pitch in a shade of gray as midfielder
Drew Cost sent a deep crossing pass to the
far corner of the field for sophomore John
Gallagher.
A handful of Nittany Lions crashed the
net, waiting for Gallagher to send a hopeful
pass into the box.
Gallagher's cross found the foot of fresh
man forward Jordan Tyler, who corralled
the ball and buried a shot into the back left
corner of the net without hesitation.
Instead of celebrating with a choreo
graphed dance or a dog pile near the corner
flag, the Lions simply lined up, and pre
pared to do it again.
To read the rest of Mike Still's story,
check out psucollegian.com.
JoePa:
not must win
Injured players to
return to field soon
By Andrew J. Cassavell
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
A pair of lopsided. 21-point road
losses have most of Penn State
country anxiously asking just how
good its football
team really is this
FOOTBALL
season.
Fans, media —
and players alike
are now pointing to this
Saturday's homecoming game
against Illinois (2-2, 0-1 Big Ten) as
an accurate barometer.
Joe Paterno isn't so sure. He
noted the game's significance a
pair of 0-1 Big Ten teams looking
for a first conference win, but he
said it isn't by any means do-or
die.
"Obviously we're in a situation
where we need to go out and play
well," Paterno said.
"Winning is very very high on
our priorities, but I don't think it's
a must game in the sense that we
The two met
when they were
14 and played on
the same club
team throughout
high school.
Jim Miret, who
coached both
girls for Front Moydell
Range Volleyball,
said the duo
always had a special connection.
"Chemistry between a setter
and middle is extremely impor
tant in our sport, and those two
had great chemistry - Miret said.
"When [they're at] to Penn State,
I'd imagine they build on that,
which is great for coach [Russ]
See COLORADO. Page 12.
season with high expectations year after watching teammates
both within the program and from compete in dual meets last sea
outsiders, with a No. 6 ranking by son.
Open Mat's preseason rankings. Redshirt freshmen David
Incoming freshman twins, Taylor and Ed Ruth. along with
Andrew and Dylan Alton, along sophomore Quentin Wright, enter
with Sam Sherlock highlight the season ranked highly in their
Sanderson's second recruiting respective weight classes after
class, which was ranked No. 2by redshirting last year.
Intermat. They'll be joining an Howeverr, the young wrestlers
already talented youthful lineup. aren't reading much into the hype.
The Lions will be relying heavi- "You don't wrestle rankings, -
ly on several grapplers who will Wright said. "You have to be ready
don the blue and white singlet this See WRESTLING, Page 12.
THE DAILY COLLEGIAN
hni
either win it or else Its not that"
During his teleconference
Tuesday. Illini coach Ron Zook
took the opposite stance, saying
both squads are in a must-win sit
uation this weekend after each
losing to a conference favorite last
week.
Paterno countered that notion
by pointing to the importance of
improvement regardless of the
result. Most of the questions fol
lowing a 24-3 toss to lowa were
about just how much the team had
actually progressed following a
loss by the same score as the
Alabama game in Week 2.
We're still in the developing
stage. - Paterno said. "I still think
we've still got a ways to go to be
the kind of football team I think
eventually we're gonna become."
He said he plans to make sure
his players don't feel the pressure
of a must-win game this week.
Instead, he is simply looking to see
See JOEPA, Page 12.
Frosh
to fill
void
at ' I E
By Audrey Snyder
It v. - astit until the second half
of the lowa game that Gene
H a pl ea realized his -en's fresh-
got a lei mon,
interesting.
With the
television not..
focusing to ri , iich ua the injury
tight end tsar, i,ithiam suffered
during the second quarter. Gene
said he tc asna suiv his son.
Kevin kept getting so much play
ing time.
Much to Gene and his wife
Melissa's surprise, they kept
seeing their son run on the field,
and for the time being, it will stay
that way. Gilliam will miss the
rest of the season with a torn
ACL, thrusting Haplea into the
starting role. With Andrew
Szczerba still recovering from a
lingering back injury, Haplea,
who arrived on campus in
January is the go-to-guy.
See HAPLEA. Page 12.
THOUGHTS
MLB playoffs finally arrive
It all started Sunday night. April 4
185 long days ago.
The Red Sox beat the defending champi
on Yankees 9-7 on ESPN to kick off the
2010 MLB season.
Oh how long ago it seems.
It's now October 6, and officially time to
begin the interview process for this year's
champion. . .
Which team has the perfect combination
of momentum, talent and durability?
After having seen every team's creden
tials on display throughout the spring and
summer, it's now time to kick back and
watch the best eight battle it out.
It all starts today at 1:37 p.m. on TBS.
?~:=;..L