UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (Feb. 4, 2004) - Penn State men's soccer coach Barry Gorman announced today the signing of eight players in another impressive recruiting class.

Recently, the Nittany Lions have made a habit of attracting the nation's top recruits and this year's class is no different. The class of 2008 features three All-Americas, two of whom were recognized with their respective state's Player-of-the-Year award.

Forwards Richard Costanzo and Stephen Reihner and goalkeeper Conrad Taylor headline a class that also includes defender Geordie MacNeill, midfielders Dan Shaffer and Ryan Badaracco, forward/midfielder Yan Carvalho and cultured left-sided player Michael Choate.

With 11 starters and 20 letterwinners returning from the 2003 team, the class of 2008 will only strengthen an already formidable squad for the 2004 campaign.

"Considering what we have in place already, this talented group of individuals sends a tingle of excitement through our soccer community," said Gorman, who is entering his 17th season as the Nittany Lions' mentor.

Costanzo, a forward from Jefferson Hills, Pa., is a two-time NSCAA/adidas High School All America and the 2003 Pennsylvania Player-of-the-Year. He scored 108 goals and added 70 assists while leading Thomas Jefferson High School to three PIAA Class AA State Championship finals, including a state title in 2002. He was named the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Pittsburgh Tribune Review's 2002 and 2003 Player-of-the-Year and he is one of only eight repeat All-Americas.

Reihner, a forward from Washington, Pa., was a 2003 NSCAA/adidas High School All-America selection. Reihner's father, John, was a kicker for the Penn State football teams in 1972 and 1974. In addition to his All-America selection, Stephen Reihner was named the 2003 NSCAA/adidas West Virginia Player-of-the-Year while playing for the Linsley School (Wheeling, W.V.). He also won four West Virginia State Championships while playing for the West Virginia Eagles' Club Team. An NSCAA/adidas Regional All-America and 2002-2003 All-State selection, Reihner was named to the Ohio-Valley All-Conference first team four times. He was named the 2003 Ohio-Valley Conference Player-of-the-Year and played on two Pennsylvania West State Championships while playing for the Beadling Soccer Club.

Taylor will head to Penn State from Colorado Springs, Colo., where he was a two-time NSCAA/adidas Olympic Development Program Team (ODP) All-America and the 2003 NSCAA/adidas High School male Scholar-Athlete-of-the-Year. In leading Liberty High School to the 2001 Colorado High School State Championship, Taylor was named the finals' MVP. An NSCAA/adidas regional All-America in 2002 and a Colorado High School All-State selection in 2001 and 2002, Taylor missed much of the 2003 season with an ankle injury. He was an adidas Exceptional Soccer Player (ESP) selection (Top 150 High School players in America) in 2003 and he was honored with the coveted "Golden Glove Award," which is presented to the top goalkeeper at ESP.

MacNeill, a 6-foot, 1-inch central defender from Markham, Ontario, Canada, was a top player at Holy Trinity School and was named to the CR Select and College Prospect All-Star teams.

Carvalho, a forward/midfielder from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, possesses lots of flare and imagination. The 6-1 left-footed Brazilian comes to Penn State from the American School of Rio de Janeiro.

Shaffer, an outside midfielder from Lancaster, Pa., is a Lancaster-Lebanon League two-time all-conference selection out of Manheim Township High School. An athletic and speedy player, Shaffer was also a member of the Eastern Pennsylvania State Olympic Development Program (ODP) team. In addition, he is a member of the FC Delco Dynamo team that has won two Eastern Pennsylvania State Championships and the 2002 Region I Club Championship. In 2002, his FC Delco team was a National Finalist.

Choate, a cultured left-sided player, is a Northern Virginia native that has been living in Frankfurt, Germany the past two years. He was selected to the International School Sports Tournament All-Star team in 2003.

Badaracco, a midfielder from Wexford, Pa., is a two-time WPIAL District 7 All-Star who is coming off a banner senior year at Pine Richland High School. He was named the Pittsburgh Tribune Review's Elite-11 All-Star team and was also included in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's North Top-11 All-Star team. He was team captain and MVP his senior season. As a starter for the Beadling Soccer Club Team that won four Pennsylvania West State Championships, Badaracco was also a member of the Pennsylvania West ODP squad.

Costanzo, Reihner and Badaracco all played together on the Beadling Soccer Club while Costanzo and Shaffer are currently playing on the FC Delco team. Current Nittany Lion players David Walters (Hunlock Creek, Pa.) and Jeff Chambers (Christiana, Pa.) are also FC Delco alumni.

For more information on Penn State men's soccer, please visit Penn State's official athletic website at www.GoPSUsports.com.