Change in roles helps Burrell grad Jayson Ireland become key player for Penn State New Kensington men’s soccer
Share this post:
In the moments after the Penn State New Kensington men’s soccer team earned a historic victory in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament, coach Mark Duffield wasn’t sure what made him more proud: the fact that the program earned its first win in the event or that Jayson Ireland scored the winning goal.
Against Paul Smith College on Nov. 15, PSNK held a 2-1 lead before Paul Smith’s Nick Grover rallied to tie the score in the 77th minute. Less than seven minutes later, Ireland, a Burrell grad, was in the right place at the right time to deliver a 3-2 victory for the Lions.
“The ball just came to my foot, I was able to get a nice touch and I just shot it as quick as I could,” he said.
Ultimately, the victory wouldn’t be enough to advance PSNK out of the pool play portion of the tournament. Still, it was a big moment for the program and for Ireland.
“I was so happy he scored the goal because of all the hard work he put in,” said Duffield, who just wrapped up his seventh season as the men’s coach. “You could see the emotion when he scored.”
Getting a winning goal in a postseason tournament is emotional in and of itself. For Ireland, the big finish to his freshman season probably meant even a bit more.
Ireland was a late addition to the PSNK program. Throughout the summer after his graduation from Burrell, he said he was unsure about his future, unsure if college would be a part of it.
As the carefree days of graduation parties and summer celebrations sped into August, Ireland realized he needed to come to a resolution. He knew if he did go to college, he wanted it to be at Penn State New Ken. He also knew he wanted to play soccer.
So he reached out do Duffield, who invited Ireland to practice.
“I never looked back from there,” he said.
Ireland made a good impression in the early practices and started the Lions’ first six matches. But Duffield decided to move Louie Negron, also a freshman, into the starting lineup and utilize Ireland in a reserve role.
Ireland admitted being a reserve was deflating at first. He thought he hadn’t been living up to expectations.
Duffield, however, said there was a purpose behind the switch. He took note of Ireland’s ability to get behind defenses. That, he thought, might come in particularly handy later in matches when the opposition was starting to get worn down.
And his style presented defenses with a different look than what they got from Negron. Duffield likened it to a baseball team facing a fastball pitcher one day then a curveball pitcher the next.
For the second half of the season, Ireland also moved from the outside to center forward.
Both changes paid off. In just his second game as a reserve, Ireland netted his first collegiate goal in a win over PS Schuylkill. Then, two weeks later, he had assists in back-to-back matches: a 2-2 draw with Saint Vincent and a 3-1 win over Penn State Mont Alto.
All five of Ireland’s goals and both of his assists this season came as a reserve.
“He had become more composed and more confident,” Duffield said. “I always knew the second he walked on campus he belonged. I think it was him knowing he belonged.”
Added Ireland: “I have high expectations, but it was a good start. I’m looking for things to be a lot better in the future.”
One area of Ireland’s game Duffield never has to worry about is his desire. Duffield said Ireland never gives up on a ball, and he illustrated by recounting the victory over Mont Alto.
Just before halftime, New Ken took a free kick from about 25 yards. The ball eluded everyone and looked to be headed for the end line, but Ireland chased down the stray shot and got a touch on it to stop it from going out. Ireland then gathered himself, made a move around a defender then saw teammate Finn Bethurum open.
Ireland fed the ball to Bethurum, who one-timed it into the goal with 5 seconds left.
“He’s a strong lad, he’s fearless, he’s quick and he never gives up on the ball,” Duffield said. “I’ve told him before, it’s not always about the amount of goals he can score. It’s about runs he makes and the way he kind of brings other players into the game.”
Ireland’s season also included a two-goal match in a 15-0 blowout over Penn State Wilkes-Barre. His five goals ranked fifth on the team, and his 12 points were sixth, helping the Lions finish 6-2-1 in the Penn State University Athletic Conference.
The Lions reached the semifinals of the PSUAC postseason, where they lost to eventual champion Penn State Lehigh Valley, 2-1.
The dramatic goal against Paul Smith made Ireland eager to get to work for 2025. He plans to hone his dribbling and his shot and also hopes to get together with his teammates to build more chemistry.
Finding players to practice with in the offseason shouldn’t be hard. Six players who are scheduled to return next season are from the A-K Valley, including three from Burrell: Taber Driscoll, Luke Guerrini and Seth Trisoline.
Confident at the college level and comfortable in his new role, Ireland is expecting to take his game to another level next season.
“I’m happy with how the last half of the season went and especially with a good win in the playoffs,” he said. “I’m feeling pretty good going into next season.”
Added Duffield: “I think the sky’s the limit for Jay, to be fair. I think he’s a lad that can have numbers. My challenge to him is, can you get 12 to 15 goals for us a season? Can you get six assists? I think there’s a good future for him.”