UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; November 2, 2006 - The 12th-ranked women1s soccer team placed six Lions on the All-Big Ten team, as announced by the conference Thursday in conjunction with the opening of the Big Ten Women1s Soccer Tournament at Penn State. Senior captain Ali Krieger (Dumfries, Va.) earned co-Defensive Player of the Year honors and head coach Paula Wilkins earned her fifth Coach of the Year honor in her six-year tenure. The Nittany Lions captured their ninth consecutive Big Ten title this year with an 8-1-1 conference mark and are seeded first in the Big Ten Tournament.
Four Lions, including Krieger, were named to the All-Big Ten first team. Joining senior defender Krieger were junior Aubrey Aden-Buie (Allentown, Pa.), sophomore Sheree Gray (Toms River, N.J.), and sophomore Allie Long (Northport, N.Y.). Junior defender enay Riley (Washingtonville, N.Y.) and freshman Alyssa Naeher (Seymour, Conn.) earned second team kudos. Naeher and Katie Schoepfer (Waterford, Conn.) garnered all-freshman team honors to round out the Penn State list of honorees. Senior Sarah Dwyer (Califon, N.J.) was the team1s Big Ten Sportsmanship honoree.
In addition to her co-defensive player of the year honor, Krieger earned first team All-Big Ten accolades for the third straight season. Converted to the defense out of necessity after graduation and injury emptied the Lions1 cupboard at that position, Krieger thrived as the leader of the team as she has her entire career. With two goals this year from the back and five assists, she has 12 career goals and 21 career assists. Krieger earned preseason All-America honors after being named a first team NSCAA All-American last year.
Aden-Buie has paced the Penn State offense this year and earned her first league honors by doing so. The Pennsylvania-native posted two goals in the Lions1 quarterfinal match-up with Northwestern, boosting her 2006 totals to 11 goals and two assists. Aden-Buie now has 18 career goals and eight assists for 44 points. Aden-Buie continues the long line of Penn State forwards to be named to the conference1s first team.
Sophomore midfielder Gray followed up last year1s Big Ten All-Freshman honors with first team all-conference honors this go-around. Gray has recorded one goal this season, the game-winner over then-No. 2 UCLA in the season opener. Gray has four career goals and eight assists in her two-year career.
A 2005 second team All-Big Ten selection, sophomore midfielder Long upped her stock this year and earned first team all-conference honors. She has scored five goals this season after returning from the Under-20 World Cup in Russia and has also added four assists. An All-Big Ten Tournament pick and all-freshman team selection last year, Long has scored nine goals and 10 assists in her young Nittany Lion career.
In her first year with Penn State, Naeher has done a solid job for the Lions in goal all season earning a second team All-Big Ten nod as well as a place on the Big Ten All-Freshman team. With seven shutouts, including five straight in the heart of the conference slate, Naeher earned Top Drawer Soccer Co-National Player of the Week earlier this season. The Connecticut-native has a .960 goals against average and a .787 save percentage this year with 70 saves.
Earning honors for the first time since 2004 when she was a member of the All-Freshman team, Riley stepped up her play and was a force for the Lions in the back this year. A second team All-Big Ten selection, the Empire State native has two goals this year to up her career totals to five goals and one assist.
A freshman with seven goals and four assists this season, Schoepfer has posted seven goals and four assists in her inaugural campaign. The 2006 all-freshman team selection, she scored against half of the Big Ten opponents she faced. Schoepfer missed the last two Big Ten games due to illness, but rebounded to give the Lions minutes in the conference quarterfinals Thursday.
Senior midfielder/defender Dwyer was the Lions1 Big Ten Sportsmanship honoree this year. A Big Ten All-Freshman pick in 2003, Dwyer has posted quality numbers in 20 starts this season with three goals and four assists. She has earned Soccer America, Soccer Buzz and Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week status this year for her performance. Dwyer has five goals for her career with 11 assists.
Wilkins1 honor marks the fourth straight year and fifth time overall that her peers have selected her as the Big Ten Coach of the Year. Last year1s NSCAA National Coach of the Year, Wilkins is second in winning percentage among active coaches after compiling a 114-18-11 record (.835). Her Big Ten numbers are even more impressive, as her teams have played to a 54-4-2 record (.916 winning percentage).
The Nittany Lions continues to host the Big Ten Tournament at Jeffrey Field on Friday, Nov. 3, and Sunday, Nov. 5. In the Big Ten semifinals, No. 2 seed Illinois and No. 3 seed Purdue meet at 4:30 p.m. on Friday with No. 1 seed Penn State matching up with the winner of No. 4 seed Michigan and No. 5 seed Indiana game, in progress now.
Single day passes will be sold at the gate during each of the remaining three games. Adult tickets are $6.00 each, with youth, senior citizen and student tickets $4.00 each and a group rate set at $3.00. Groups are defined as 10 or more persons. There are no age requirements for members of the groups.