10 I MONDAY, OCT. 18, 2010 Mid-season turnarounds can be done By Audrey Snyder COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER It didn't take a closed-door meeting, different practice rou tines or new personnel for the 1964 Penn State foot- ball team to turn FOOTBALL its season around. Despite a 1-4 start and playing behind an inex perienced quarterback, the Nittany Lions didn't start pointing fingers. Much like the challenges the current Penn State team faces at the season's midpoint, the 1964 team also recognized it had its share of struggles and faced an unfavorable second-half schedule to try and make a bowl bid. For the 1964 team there was a sense of protection toward first year starting quarterback Gary Wydman as the offense took the blame for a slow start. The protec tion went so far, one of the team's leaders, center Bob Andronici, argued with reporters because he didn't want IVdman to take the heat for the team's midseason record. 'Wydman was a good quarter- Women's soccer team forced By Andrew Robinson COL LCIAN STAFF WRITER It took only 44 seconds for pure bliss to be'replaced by heartbreak In one instant, everything that could have gone wrong id. And that one play was WOMEN'S all it took to hand SOCCER the Penn State women's soccer team a crushing 3-2 loss to Wisconsin Sunday afternoon. - Brutal, - Penn State coach Erica waist' sale "What did we have, . that we got to enjoy a little bit of a comeback and I think we were doing exactly that, busy Nniany Lions had just ral- Arielle Wilson goes for a spike in a match against Minnesota over the weekend Wilson leads Lion wins By Ryan Loy COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER It was no surprise Arielle Wilson domi nated on the court in the Penn State women's volleyball team's weekend matches against No. 19 Minnesota and lowa. The senior middle hitter entered the season as the Nittany Lions' leader in career hitting percentage. However. Wilson who coach Russ Rose referred to as a "quiet kid who works hard" went out of her element and gave some words of wisdom to her teammates during both weekend matches. Her pep talks helped the No. 9 Lions (15-4, 5-3 Big Ten) get back on the winning track, as they defeated the Golden Gophers and Hawkeyes. - She doesn't really venture into that area, - Rose said of Wilson as a vocal leader "She wants to do her job and doesn't want to be responsible for everybody else doing theirs." Wilson certainly did "her job" both nights. In Saturday's sweep of lowa (25-16, 25-22, 25-19) Wilson had 13 kills on .650 hit ting and five blocks. Friday, she had nine kills, five blocks and two service aces in a four-set win against the Gophers (25-22, 25- 14, 21-25, 25-16). . After the Lions dropped the third set against Minnesota, senior libero Alyssa D'Errico said there were signs of what the teams struggled with in its losses. In the defeats at Purdue and Indiana two weekends ago. D'Errico said the players were frustrated and yelled at each other, back who early in the season was getting beat up a lot," Andronici said. "He was under a lot of pres sure. ... But it's never just the quarterback when you're losing." Fbrty-six years later, Wydman said the 2010 Nittany Lions have a lot of the same problems that hin dered his 1964 team at its mid point. With a struggling offensive line, quarterback Rob Bolden going through his first season and fans speculating about coaching changes, Wydman said it's not much different than what his team went through during the last two years of Rip Engle's coaching career. But the 1964 team rebounded after a homecoming loss to Syracuse and won its final five games to finish 6-4. Though a bowl game was an option for the 1964 team —which the players voted not to participate in for fear of going back to two-a-day practices the current Lions face the same challenge of trying to turn around their season. "Let's say this, walking to prac tice was not a positive experi ence," Andronici said. "Not every body was applauding. People lied to tie the game 2-2 on fresh man Maya Hayes' goal in the 78th minute and had another strong scoring chance 27 seconds later when Christine Nairn's shot from 18 yards out was stopped. Then it all fell apart. After clearing the ball out after Nairn's shot was saved, Wisconsin midfielder Kodee Williams made a run to get under it. As the ball dropped to her feet, Williams found a Penn State back line perfectly positioned to be exploited. "It was a ball over the top and we didn't read it right," junior cen tre back Emma Thomson said. "The back four weren't on the same line. Diving in, I'd have to see it again but we didn't read it rather than helping each other. To ensure that didn't happen again, Wilson spoke up in the team's huddle before the fourth set with Minnesota. "Ari summed it up very well in saying that we need to get angry at the other team, not ourselves," D'Errico said. "Play together, support each other, fight for each other, not with each other." That idea became the theme for the Lions during the two matches, as Wilson said she restated that same message Saturday against lowa. Though Rose believed his team took a step back against lowa, he said Wilson and fellow senior Blair Brown played very well. The Penn State coach said his team lacks energy on the court at times, which is what Wilson tried to change with her words. "I think a lot of the time we get caught up in yeiihig at each other because we're frus trated," Wilson said. "Where is that anger when we play other opponents? Let's take it out on them, and use it to bring energy." Brown, who led the team with 15 kills against lowa, said the team is working to maintain a high level of energy on the court. She said herself, Wilson and the other seniors are focusing on being consistent with their effort and play, so they can pro vide an example for the rest of the team. "At this point, it's going to be us [seniors] being consistent all the time and trying to help them out," Brown said. "If we strug gle, we can trust them to help us out, too." To e-mail reporter rmlsl3Bopsu.edu SPORTS would say stuff like, 'You guys can't get your stuff together,' but we kept fighting. There was this spirit, there really ended up this true belief if we kept working we would succeed." While Wydman partially attrib uted the turnaround to Engle's decision to simplify the blocking calls along the offensive line, he said the team knew it had more talent than its record indicated. Wydman was a high school quarterback, and during his first four seasons with the Lions, saw time at running back, half back and defensive back. He said the team's ability to substitute in pla toons gave it overall experience. While the players were still trying to make adjustments during the first five games of the 10-game season, he said they certainly weren't as young as the current Nittany Lions, who have inexperi enced players at several positions. With Joe Paterno serving as associate coach, a role All- America offensive lineman Glenn Ressler said would be similar to a modern-day offensive coordinator, the Lions didn't shy away from a mid-November game in Columbus and we didn't time our tackles well either." Left back Jackie Molinda had taken a step up, which opened a lane for Williams on that side of the field. At the same time, right back Bri Hovington was a step back from the other defenders, preventing any chance of an off sides call. Williams darted into Penn State's box and kept the ball as Thomson and Carly Niness con verged. The Wisconsin midfielder was able to get inside 10 yards then rifled a shot past goalkeeper Krissy Tribbett, who couldn't get a hand to it. "The back line was disjointed, choices that were made in the Monroig provides spark When Megan Monroig stepped on the field in the 21st minute Friday night, the senior knew exactly what her role was going to be and what she was being asked to do. The midfielder performed that role so well that she never left the field and was a vital component in the Penn State women's soccer team's 2-1 come-from behind win over Minnesota on Friday night. Though Monroig didn't tally a goal or assist, her crosses and runs on the out side were key to opening up Minnesota's defense in the second half and earned her a start on Sunday "She came off the bench [Friday] and the quality of her service from the left side I thought was absolutely tremendous," Penn State coach Erica Walsh said. After spending all of last year and the first portion of this season as an outside defender, Monroig was moved back into the midfield and made a reserve. However, with the Nittany Lions needing strong play on the flanks, the senior has put in plenty of extra work in training to make sure she's still a contributor. Last Thursday, Monroig stayed after practice officially ended and practiced sending cross after cross in front of the net where one of the team's forwards would fire it in the goal. Clearly feeling it, Monroig made sure her last cross was finished before she left the field. igel Graham/Collegian Stay up to date on deadlines and promotions! Why Buy New Cartridges? All You Need Is Cartridge World New Ink. • ildok Cartridge World State College 246 East Calder Way State College, PA 16801 www.cartridgeworldusa.com Over 1,700 locations worldwide (814) 861-7654 Call or stop by today. . „ ,.20f.)6_ ,„ C e rtridge World. All rights tess m d . D. against No. 2 Ohio State Coming into the game with back-to-back wins against unranked West Virginia and Maryland, Ressler said his Lions had something the current team lacks: momentum. "We had a more mature team, more seniors, so that helped us," Ressler said. "We had good lead ership and we had confidence in ourselves that we could play bet ter and we did." In a game Penn State historian Lou Prato said "shocked the nation," the Lions upset the Buckeyes 27-0, holding the Ohio State offense to minus-14 yards in the first half and didn't give up a first down until the third quarter. The players said they always looked at the Ohio State game as a key point in determining how the season would go and said the win was proof their season was turned around. With the current Lions looking for that same kind of signature win to at least give themselves the confidence of knowing they can stay competitive, Wydman said he knows Paterno won't waver his belief in his players. to adapt after loss back players, there wasn't enough pressure on the ball, goalkeeping, right down to the last player," Walsh said. "I'm sure I was even at fault somewhere in there." Defensively, the Lions had con cerns the whole game. Wisconsin scored twice on free kicks in the first half, something Thomson said was very disappointing because of how much work the team has put in on them. After the game, senior co-cap tain Megan Monroig was at a loss to be able to explain the break down. Despite trailing 2-1 at the half, Tani Costa and Monroig said the players felt they were still in the game. "To score and equalize then get By Andrew Robinson COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER ill 119 E. Beaver Ave CLOSING SOON! Don't miss your last chance this season for a Rita's Treat. ,;zol dr ip , 45 - VP I i Head to Cartridge World for your ink and toner needs You'll not only save money, but you'll help save the environment by reducing the number of cartridges in American landfills. SAVE BIG-GO GREEN The k* tuld T THE DAILY COLLEGIAN "Joe called me up one night after the third loss and basically said very simply 'l'm not gonna give up on you, unless you give up on yourself,' " Wydman said of the coach who used to sit at banquets and doodle plays and formations all over his napkin. 'As I look back on it, it was probably an important aspect for me to know somebody had confidence in me." The former quarterback said he can empathize with Bolden but said he's sure Paterno gives him the same type of support. With the run game helping to take some of the pressure off Wydman, Ressler said the Lions would be in a much better situa tion if they could find a way to have the line jell during the second half of the season. But Andronici said there is something, regardless of the gap between teams, that is always at the forefront of a player's mind. "We didn't want to be that team that underachieved," Andronici said. "Nobody wants to be the team that has the first losing sea son in however many years." To e-mail reporter: aass22o@psu.edu scored on again, it's tough to deal with," Monroig said. "It makes it so we have to go back at them again. It's not that we didn't want to after they scored but it was tough after being on that high and getting knocked right back off again." The Lions showed their resiliency in fighting back but it only took that one mistake to make all the energy, work and desire they had put in worth noth ing "It was a complete mental breakdown," Walsh said. "We had a complete breakdown for a minute after our goal and it cost us the game." To e-mail reporter: adrso79@psu.edu Against Minnesota's unique 3-5-2 forma tion, that worked showed once the mid fielder replaced Hayley Brock on the left. "My focus was just getting wide, keeping the wide space, Coach talked about how they pressed numbers forward, so opening them up," Monroig said. The senior co-captain did finish with one shot, which came in the 70th minute from the top of the 18-yard box, but it got caught in the strong wind and carried over the crossbar. But it was the midfielder's pass ing that had the biggest impact Friday Just minutes after Monroig entered the game, midfielder Christine Nairn laid off a pass to the senior, which Monroig took and sent in a perfect cross to forward Dani Toney deep in Minnesota territory. In the last legs of the first half, Monroig and sophomore Maddy Evans connected well, again getting the ball deep in Minnesota's half. Evans said Monroig was the spark the team needed against Minnesota and the way the senior's passing set up chances on Friday, Evans thinks Monroig can start racking up assists in the rest of the season. "She's been awesome. She's someone who will never give up no matter what," Evans said. "She'll never be comfortable with where she is, she'll always want more. That's something we can all learn from her and her mentality has never dropped it's always been positive, positive, positive and when she gets on the field, it's unreal." To e-mail reporter: adrso79@psu.edu 'llllll kita's www.HappyValleyßitas.com OR vim $1 Off any Regular or Large size Treat! Expires 10/31 (814) 231-1366
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