Booters land new recruits

Sean, Derek, Kevin, Whitney, Ryan, Chris and another Ryan. They may not have cool names like Diego, Alexi or Pelé, but they are still excellent soccer players. And the Penn State men's soccer team is betting its future on them.

They are the new recruits for the Nittany Lions' 1998 squad, and coach Barry Gorman is very optimistic about their promise

"Each one of them has a legitimate chance to make some major contributions next season," he said.

The contributions will be welcome. The Lions are coming off of a frustrating 10-10-1 season, and although only five players will be lost to graduation, their absence will be felt. Gone are forwards Phil Karn and Travis Berger, midfielder Kevin Silva and goalkeeper Steve Saunders.

Helping to replace Saunders will be Ryan Sickman and Whitney Gibson. Sickman is a 6-foot-3, 180-pound All-American goalkeeper from Hudson High School in Hudson, Ohio.

Gibson is a transfer student from Tipp City, Ohio. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound former All-State goalkeeper has spent the last two years as a starter for the Ohio University Bobcats.

Penn State will have three additions at midfield, Derek Potteiger, Sean Jones and Kevin Diveto.

Potteiger (5-foot-10, 171 lbs.) was an All-American at midfield and an All-State selection from Cumberland Valley High School in Mechanicsburg.

Jones (5-foot-9, 155 lbs.) was another All-State midfielder from Coughlin High School in Wilkes-Barre.

Diveto (5-foot-9, 155 lbs.) was a four-time All-State selection at midfield from Plantation, Florida. He helped lead his team at St. Thomas Aquinas High School to two consecutive state titles, and a No. 1 national ranking in USA Today. At St. Thomas Aqunias, Diveto played with Nittany Lion freshman forward Ken Lear. Lear seemed excited to be having his former teammate joining him in Happy Valley.

"We graduated together, and hung out a lot in high school. He's a very skillful player and a great team player. He'll make a fine addition to the team."

Diveto has spent this past year in Germany refining his game.

The Lions also hope to bolster their offensive attack and solidify their defense with the addition of forward Ryan Miller and defender Chris Stout.

Miller (6-foot-1, 177 lbs.) was an All-State selection from Delaware-Hayes High School in Delaware, Ohio. Miller is also the all-time leading scorer in the school's history.

Stout (5-foot-11, 165 lbs.), a local product from State College High School, was a 1997 All-State pick and a PA West Olympic Development starter for two seasons.

Stout said playing for Penn State will be "like a dream come true."

"I grew up going to all the games," he said, "so to play for them will be very exciting."

Several other schools courted Stout, but his heart was set on donning the blue and white.

"A bunch of schools sent letters and called," he said, "but this was my only choice."

Gorman said he is excited about his new crop of players and is confident they will help the Lions in their quest for a Big Ten Championship and an NCAA Tournament berth.

"We have a lot of goals we want to accomplish," he said.

And a lot of goals they want to score as well.