Penn State New Kensington men's soccer team full of confidence after PSUAC title-game berth in '23

The Penn State New Kensington men’s soccer team has experienced a considerable amount of success in recent years. In the three seasons since the covid-19 pandemic wiped out the 2020 schedule, the Lions are 34-16-2, including 22-3-2 in the Penn State University Athletic Conference.

Last fall, for the first time in program history, PSNK advanced to the conference title match, where it was defeated by Penn State Brandywine, 2-0.

For seventh-year coach Mark Duffield, the result, naturally, wasn’t what he had envisioned. Still, he said he believes it is a big step forward for his program.

“It’s the whole experience of being in that final,” said Duffield, a native of Chichester, West Sussex, in England. “We played in that nice stadium (at Penn State’s main campus). We played against Brandywine, (and) everyone on that team had been to a final. They won a national championship, so they had been there, done that.

“But I think for us, the guys realize they deserve to be there, and they can compete at that level.”

If the Lions needed more evidence about their ability to play championship-level soccer, they got it during their spring break trip to England. There, they faced a team from UA92, a university founded by former members of England’s Manchester United football club.

In an exhibition match against UA92, the Lions drew 1-1.

“I also think that gave the guys confidence of how good they can be,” Duffield said.

So the Lions enter 2024 with confidence and a talented, experienced roster — even if some of that talent and experience is relatively young.

At the forefront of the squad, however, are three veteran players, all from the A-K Valley: fifth-year defenseman Shane Stefanik (Highlands) and seniors Ryan Wurzer (fullback) and Jacob Guerrini (forward/midfielder), both from Burrell.

Stefanik brings 44 career games (21 starts) of experience to the lineup. Guerrini finished third on the team with seven goals in 2023 and added four assists, and Wurzer provided staunch defense at the back, helping PSNK to allow only six goals in eight regular-season conference matches.

Guerrini and Wurzer have been playing together since their days at Burrell, and now they get a chance to end their soccer playing careers by chasing a championship. They serve as two of the team’s four captains.

“He’s one of my best friends,” Wurzer said of Guerrini. “I work with him all the time. We know how each other play and what’s going on with each other pretty much. Having a really good friend on the team is something that’s awesome.”

The other two captains are junior defender Tanner Stockdill and sophomore defender Finn Bethurum. Bethurum was part of a quartet of freshman defenders who were crucial to the Lions’ success in 2023. Add Mason Wicks to that group, too, as he was pressed into more duty when sophomore Dylan Shaw went down with an injury.

Shaw’s injury also necessitated Wurzer moving from his center back position to a fullback spot. That enabled Wurzer to help more on the attack and set up the offense.

“They (freshmen) felt their roles right away,” Wurzer said. “It gave me an opportunity to move outside so I could have a little bit more of an attacking role in a sense, being able to get up the field more.

“I like it a little bit more. … I like making the plays, developing the plays, being part of that development and moving up the field.”

The Lions’ primary goalie last fall, Kenton Knox, also was a freshman. So for Duffield, having a more experienced player such as Wurzer as part of his defense was critical to the unit’s success.

“He’s a calm guy in general. He’s calm under pressure,” Duffield said. “He’s a good leader for the guys. He works hard every day in practice. He’s just been a steady ship for us.”

Shaw returns to provide depth and experience.

The defense might have to be particularly stout for PSNK as it searches for a way to replace Devin Murray, a Deer Lakes grad who led the team with 16 goals — in addition to dishing out seven assists — last season. Murray left PSNK to study to enter police academy training.

Also gone is Ethan Hutcherson, who will finish his degree elsewhere and was second on the team with nine goals and led with eight assists.

That could put more onus on Guerrini to lead the offense. Ethan Wineberg returns after posting five goals and a pair of assists as a freshman. Bethurum had four goals and three assists.

Another potential positive for Penn State New Ken — not to mention the rest of the PSUAC — is Brandywine no longer is part of the conference after moving up to NCAA Division III. Still, Wurzer said, the Lions aren’t taking anything for granted.

“It changes it a little bit because it takes a little bit of a worry off of us and gives us a better chance of winning that championship,” he said. “But Lehigh Valley is still a really good team, and we don’t know if Greater Allegheny and Beaver are going to get better or what they’re going to do, so we’re still attacking (the season) the same.”

Duffield is confident his Lions will have something to say about who wins the PSUAC title. Wurzer added that, regardless of who is and isn’t on the roster, the program is firmly established among those who can contend on a yearly basis.

This year, he said, should be no different.

“How much I have seen us grow over the years and how much better we’ve gotten over the years,” Wurzer said when asked about how the program has developed during his time there. “It doesn’t really matter who is on the team, the skill level or superstars on your team. It’s just how the team plays together.”