On the final weekend of summer, it felt as though the State College area had skipped the whole season of fall and jumped right into the winter weather.

This weekend, the Penn State men's soccer team invited three teams to play in the Penn State Nike Classic with early November-like temperatures in the low 50s and high 40s sweeping over Happy Valley and the rest of the Northeast.

While residents in the region are cursing Mother Nature for cutting the summer short, participants in the Nike Classic were enjoying the benefits of playing in the cold weather despite some teams coming from warm Southern climates.

"It was colder than hell for us, but the weather probably helped," College of Charleston coach Ralph Lundy said. "Penn State plays so fast and they make the ball do the work. Had it been hot, they would have mashed us because we had to chase them around all night long."

Junior midfielder Derek Potteiger, who scored Penn State's two game-winning goals in the Nike Classic, sees no problem with a transition from warm weather earlier in the week to the frigid temperatures of the weekend and almost enjoys it.

"This is the best weather we've had all year. When you're out there you can be in shorts and a short-sleeve shirt and not notice anything," Potteiger said. "Going from the heat to cold it's like you're in a utopia."

Although the temperature seemed to help the players, the weather did take a toll on the field condition.

The combination of a hard ground from the cold temperatures and damp grass from rain on Friday afternoon resulted in slick conditions which caused many players to lose their footing.

The slick conditions almost ended up costing the Nittany Lions a goal when a Penn State defender slipped when trying to advance the ball. Virginia Commonwealth forward Matthew Delicate took the ball and had a wide open shot turned away by Penn State goalkeeper Ryan Sickman.

The ones who probably felt the worst effects from the weather would have to be those 1,663 that turned out for the two Penn State games.

Huddling together with layers of coats and blankets over them holding cups of hot chocolate in their hands, those fans gave up the warmth of their houses to come out and support the Nittany Lions.

Penn State student Brad McCleary (junior-advertising), who consistently attends men's soccer games, wasn't going to pass up a chance to see the Lions in action just because of the weather.

"The team's number two in the nation and it's free," he said.