University Park, Pa., August 18, 2005 - The Penn State men's soccer team will begin the 2005 season ranked No. 23 in the country, according to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Pre-season Poll. In 2004, the Nittany Lions finished in a tie for 20th in the NSCAA rankings after posting a 10-4-8 record and advancing to the NCAA Tournament.

Six of the Lions' 2005 opponents also appear in the top 25, including two-time defending national champion and pre-season No. 1 Indiana (Sept. 30) and No. 2 Maryland (Sept. 21). Penn State takes on No. 8 New Mexico on September 4 in Columbus, Ohio at the Ohio State Classic. The Lions will face ninth-ranked UCLA in their home opener at the Penn State Nike Classic on Friday, September 16. In addition to Indiana, two other Big Ten opponents earned pre-season top 25 rankings, No. 18 Ohio State and No. 24 Northwestern.

Penn State is playing 10 of its 19 matches against teams that made the 2004 NCAA Tournament.

Head Coach Barry Gorman, entering his 18th season at Penn State, welcomes back 13 lettermen, including seven starters from a team that collected double-digit wins while playing one of the toughest schedules in the nation. On the field, senior captains David Walters (Hunlock Creek, Pa.) and Brian Devlin (Philadelphia, Pa.) will lead a young but experienced Nittany Lion squad. Also back are one of last year's top scorers, junior Simon Omekanda (Rochester Hills, Mich.), and five-time 2004 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, sophomore goalkeeper Conrad Taylor (Colorado Springs, Colo.).

The 2005 Penn State men's soccer season will not only be highlighted by competitive play but by a very special celebration. On the weekend of the Penn State Nike Classic (Sept.16-18), the Nittany Lion Athletic family will welcome back the 1954-55 men's soccer national championship teams for their 50th reunion.

 2005 NSCAA/adidas Men's Soccer Pre-season Poll 1. Indiana 18-4-2 1 2. Maryland 17-6-2 3 3. Duke 18-6-0 4 4. UC Santa Barbara 21-2-2 2 5. St. John's 12-6-4 T5 6. Virginia 18-5-1 T5 7. Southern Methodist 16-4-1 11 8. New Mexico 17-1-2 10 9. UCLA 14-4-2 4 10. Wake Forest 14-5-2 12 11. Virginia Commonwealth 12-6-3 7 12. Creighton 14-4-2 14 13. UNC Greensboro 19-3-1 9 14. Tulsa 12-7-4 8 15. Boston College 13-5-2 15 16. Notre Dame 13-3-3 17 17. North Carolina 10-9-2 NR 18. Ohio State 12-7-2 16 19. Connecticut 12-8-3 22 20. California 13-4-3 18 21. Santa Clara 15-6-0 NR 22. Old Dominion 13-6-2 19 23. Penn State 10-4-8 T20 24. Northwestern 15-6-2 RV 25. Saint Louis 9-8-1 NR