Soccer makes program debut

"Honestly, launching the program over the last 90 days has felt like paddling a small boat through a hurricane," head coach David Koebler said. "So, things haven't settled enough yet to fully consume and enjoy the experience.  I think the team went out there and represented Penn State Fayette admirably today.  We knew coming into the match that we are a very young program.  The growth and development start from the ground up and that we have a long road ahead of us.  The match provided the players with a plethora of learning experiences and I am very proud of how they carried themselves in the match."

The match took place at the California University of PA soccer complex.

Dominic Boring (four) and Adrian Edwards (two) combined for the six Fayette shots, with three of Boring's shots and one of Edwards' being on goal.  Pablo Rea stopped all four of Fayette's shots on goal to earn the shutout while Sebastian Borreo and Jacob Guerrini each recorded hat tricks for New Kensington while Austin Arnold added two goals.

"Yes, it was a rough start, but the players were in good spirits after the match and we will continue to improve throughout the year," Koebler said. "We have a roster of hard-working players, but they are also learning the game along the way as a quarter of our roster has never played soccer before.  There was a lot of support and comradery on the sidelines during the match.  The players kept moving their feet, stayed positive in the face of adversity and are excited for the next match."

This inaugural season will be a bumpy ride for Fayette as Koebler has tried to patch together a team.  With him being hired so close to the start of the season, he did not have an offseason to recruit players to the program.

Koebler spoke more about his team's effort.

"I think everyone on the roster stepped up and helped carry us at some point in the match," he said. "Multiple players stepped into multiple positions and being a utility player is big for us when you have a small roster."

As far as Thursday, Koelber was impressed with Penn State New Kensington.

"They carried themselves very professionally on and off the pitch," he said. Their coaches are great guys who have been doing positive things with that program and we wish them luck in their season."

Things don't get any easier for Fayette as it hosts highly-touted Penn State Brandywine.

"We have a massive mountain to play on Saturday and they are truly a pedigree in our conference," Koebler said. "That said, we will bounce back, get back to the training pitch to work hard on areas of needed improvement.  We will keep focused on the educational process, continue to grow and develop throughout the season and represent PSU Fayette to the best of our abilities."

Kickoff on Saturday is at 1 p.m.

For more information on the soccer team, go to https://www.psfathletics.com/sports/msoc/index.