What a weekend for Penn State men's soccer.
The No. 2 Nittany Lions face Big Ten-rival Indiana at 7 p.m. tonight and then return to action at 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon to challenge No. 5 South Carolina with both matches to be held at Jeffrey Field.
Penn State (7-1, 1-0 Big Ten) is coming of its first loss of the season, which took place Tuesday night when Akron upset the Lions.
Now, the Lions have to look past that defeat and concentrate on the two-time defending national champion Hoosiers, who are ranked No. 11 in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll.
Indiana definitely has the bragging rights in the battle between the two conference powers, as the Hoosiers have outscored the Lions 55-28, and hold a commanding 18-5-2 record against Penn State in conference play.
The Hoosiers also put their 33-match Big Ten unbeaten streak on the line tonight against the Lions.
Penn State men's soccer defender David Neves said the Lions have had this date with the Hoosiers marked on their calendar since last year, when Indiana beat Penn State three straight times.
"We've been waiting for this weekend for a long time to get some revenge from last year," Neves said.
Penn State men's soccer assistant coach Kevin Doyle agrees with his defender.
"Especially after last year, having to play IU on the road three times," Doyle said, "it will be nice to get them at our place."
Penn State has another match on its hands this weekend that it can't look past.
South Carolina has a better record, a better ranking and a team that is on the rise, after another win two nights ago at Winthrop.
Although the Gamecocks won't be in attendance for tomorrow night's contest between Penn State and Indiana, South Carolina sophomore forward Dave Testo said however the match turns out will give his team a good indication of where the Lions stand.
"I wouldn't say we're going to be scared if they beat Indiana, but it'll give us a good idea of where they are," Testo said.
Another possible concern for the Gamecocks is the cold weather that autumn brings to Happy Valley. Since the temperatures have been dipping into the lower 60s during the day, the weather might be a big advantage early in the match, especially for the Lions who have grown accustomed to the nippy weather.
But South Carolina teammates are mixed when it comes to the cold temperatures.
"I'm from Utah, so I love the cold weather," Gamecocks junior forward Joey Worthen said.
But Testo disagrees.
"It will affect us, but we have jerseys that keep us warm in the cold," he said. "We've had some cool weather, but nothing like up there."
Penn State co-captain Derek Potteiger said this weekend is very important for the Lions because it will not only be a great rivalry between three top-ranked squads, but also give Penn State the chance to get back on track.
A track leading straight to the national championship that the Lions slipped off of at Akron.
"It's something really important to us, for personal reasons along with team reasons," Potteiger said. "It'll be a real pick-me-up if we can beat Indiana."
