On Wednesday, Aug. 27, less than three months ago, the Penn State men's soccer team held its pre-season press conference in the media room of the Bryce Jordan Center.

Head coach Barry Gorman, flanked on each side by his two prized hens, forward Chad Severs and midfielder Gabe Bernstein, was about as optimistic as a first-time father during the conference, outlining the team's goals for the upcoming season as, "qualifying for the NCAAs and winning the national championship."

With the 2003 season now in the books following Sunday's loss, in the Big Ten finals to Indiana, Penn State's successes and failures have materialized.

Earning an overall record of 9-10-1, Penn State has just completed its first losing season since 1969, when a first class postage stamp cost all of six cents and Title IX was three years away from Congressional approval.

To say Penn State's regular season was a letdown is an understatement. The group completed the season unranked after being named the nation's 16th best team in an NSCAA/Adidas pre-season poll, and was also predicted to finish second in the Big Ten, well before a five-game October losing streak would devastate Penn State's conference ranking.

To top it off, there was Gorman's rash decision to cut three players from his roster with three regular season games remaining, which further fueled the team's season long anxiety.

Were there positives to come from this season of adversity? Most definitely, although they are harder to find.

Penn State almost stole the Big Ten title from Indiana, showed remarkable growth from a group consisting of zero seniors and came within three penalty kicks of NCAAs.

'Wait until next year' has become a morsel of hope for the hopeless, but it actually applies in this case. All of Penn State's players will be returning in 2004, one year older, one year stronger, one year removed from the disappointment of unfulfilled expectations.

Speaking on the telephone Sunday after seeing his team lose in heartbreaking fashion, Gorman sounded weathered, downtrodden and weary, a man broken and shattered by the loss, a much different and more realistic tone than that fateful August afternoon when Gorman boldly and prematurely predicted the end of Indiana's conference dominance.

After watching Sunday's game on College Sports Television, however, I gained a newfound respect for Gorman and his troops.

Penn State was outshot 17-4 and dealt with a Bill Armstrong Stadium atmosphere bleeding Hoosier burgundy, yet it took Indiana 110 minutes and four penalty kicks to finish off the Lions, a team that showcased much more defensive craft than secretary Donald Rumsfeld's entire department.

Gorman has sustained his belief that this year's squad was the, "Most talented team that I've had depth-wise in a long time," and has repeatedly said, "If I was coaching against this Penn State team I would be worried."

It's a shame that we hadn't seen more of this team throughout the season, unfortunate that the squad Gorman hyped all those months ago decided to gel with its backs against an inflexible and unbreakable Indiana wall.

If only it had happened Sept. 19 against Akron, or Oct. 19 against Michigan State, or during any of the other disappointing losses, defeats which made 2003, based on Gorman's lofty propaganda and desire for a dynasty, a letdown.