Aug. 30, 2007
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.-
Head coach Erica Walsh. Opening Statement: "First of all, thanks everyone for coming. Obviously it's a thrill to be a part of this program and with one match finally under our belt, I can rest a little bit easier to know we're going to have some good success this year. I think it takes a couple things to have the makings of a good program and I think one of those things, and most important, is obviously the strength of the nucleus of your club. I think if you look at Aubrey (Aden-Buie), Jean (Rettig) and Jessie (Davis), our tri-captains, you can see that the returning class obviously has the makings of a very good group. (They have) leadership, strong talent... not only on the front line but also as a group of defenders as well and then you add to that group Sheree Gray and Alyssa Naeher and some of the other strong returning players and I think we've got a bright future ahead of us this fall."
You're kind of are in a unique situation in that you inherited such a successful program. How are you approaching it as far as changing the philosophy and what are you looking to change? What are you looking to keep the same from what was already in place here?
Walsh: I think the biggest challenge when you take on a new team is looking at the fibers, getting into the fibers of the program and I think, most importantly, when I got involved in this program, the fibers of this group were intact. The work rate, the mentality, the willingness to go forward and take risks and the attack, and all of those pieces that kind of build your foundation, they were all intact. Now, how you play in your formation and the way you're going to defend, all of those things are kind of on the surface pieces that, I think, are easy to put into place. Some of the other programs I've been involved with, we've had to really get into the fibers and change the fibers of the team. That's not the case in this group. I think they've got all of those intangibles that are such a challenge to coach and teach are already in place with this group and now it's just changing some of the outer look of what this group will present to the public. I think that the most important pieces were already intact.
How do you change the way you kind of see things and how you have gotten to know the women a little bit as far as the way you coach and your style?
Walsh: I haven't approached this group any differently than I have approached the former teams I have worked with. Obviously, I have been very fortunate to work with some high-level teams. Again, it goes back to the mentality, they've got the mentality of that they want to train. I think it's been an extremely successful preseason I'd say. They took advantage of every session that we had. There was only one session that we decided as a group to take the session off because the legs were starting to get a little tired, but it was only because they wanted to keep a high standard in the training. In terms of changing my philosophy, I think that the philosophy has been able to stay intact and I think I've adapted it a little bit, it may have adapted a little bit, but maybe I shouldn't speak for Aubrey, but I think for me, it hasn't been a huge adjustment or challenge to change what I've been doing and adapt it to this group.
Aubrey, how has the transition been going, do you find yourself sometimes thinking, that former coach Paula (Wilkins) would do it this way or are there any comparisons?
Aubrey Aden-Buie: There are comparisons, but we haven't really paid much attention to them, just because, looking back it's running so smooth right now. At first, sometimes a change can be hard but most of the changes have just elevated our team and we're really happy with the way things are going right now.
You used a lot of people on Saturday in the scrimmage vs. Delaware, are you still looking for the right combination or do you have things pretty much in place as to who your starters will be?
Walsh: I think one of the things I said to these guys as we started to prepare for Delaware is that we want to stay as open-minded as we possibly can. Even through the first month of the season, I think it's too easy to settle into a starting lineup. One of the biggest challenges we're going to face this year is obviously being chosen as the top team in the Big Ten. We're always going to be the team that every body is going to chase after. We may face a certain number of matches where we are our toughest opponent. I think our biggest challenge is to always compete against ourselves not only in training but also in matches as well and to keep that bar as high as possible.
Aubrey, last year you guys had to struggle at times to score goals. Do you think you'll be a bit more explosive this year, do you think you're more of an offensive team?
Aden-Buie: I think so. We have a lot of great offense. We work well together as a team, and that's one of the things that changed last year because we didn't have that one go-to person. I think that's a lot better for the team overall because it makes us so much stronger. It makes us harder to defend because we don't have that one person but we have a lot of people that are going to contribute to a lot of goals. In practice so far, we've had a lot of fun scoring. We've scored a lot of goals. I think we'll be okay this year.
Walsh: You'll look on the stat sheet from Delaware and you'll see that we had three or four shots from four, five, six different players and I think that's the sign of a good team is obviously the scoring comes from a wide-variety of different players and there's not just that one Tiffany Weimer or Christy Welsh. Obviously we'd love to have that kind of player involved, but I think that what you'll find is a more dynamic, more dangerous group with more options to go to.
Any injury concerns regarding the freshmen?
Walsh: A couple of nicks. Obviously we're working to get Jean Rettig back and healthy and she's a big piece, and I know that her experience and her leadership is certainly something that we're really looking forward to having back in the group and if all goes well she should be with us as early as this weekend.
Struggles with her head injury from last year?
Walsh: She's actually dealing with a leg injury. But I think when the doctors look at it this week, she'll be okay.
Erica, how big of a difference is the atmosphere at a Big Ten school compared to the Ivy's that you coached at previously?
Walsh: Night and day. Just the excitement around soccer, both the men's and the women's program here at Penn State and I don't know, obviously I can't speak for the Big Ten, I can speak for Penn State though. Being able to walk around this town and having people recognize who you are and not just for me, but for the players, feeling like you're an important piece of this Athletic Department, not only from a fan's perspective but also for the Athletic Director, the President of the University, I think people know when there is a soccer game going on in State College. I don't believe there's a lot of programs in the country that can boast that the town knows when there is a match going on, so I'd have to say I was thrilled with the reception and the attendance at our scrimmage and hopefully that bodes pretty well for what the Texas A&M and James Madison weekend will bring for us.
Do you still feel like there are high expectations for this season?
Aden-Buie: Yes, definitely. That's one of the things that makes our program so strong is the expectations are always high. Because we've won the Big Ten so many times especially in a row, as Erica said earlier, we're going to be that team that everyone is coming after every year and everyone wants to see us fall The other teams want to see us fall, and they want to be the team that knocks us off. I think there are a lot of expectations of us.
Erica, is goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher pretty solid as far as being ready for the season?
Walsh: You look at some of the ways that different players prepare and what Alyssa did is put herself out there and joined up with this Soccer Plus team up in Connecticut, trained with the best coaches in the country, took herself outside of her comfort zone, trained every day and I'd say she's a sharp. I trained her when she was 16, 17 years old, and she's as sharp now as I've ever seen her. Her confidence is soaring and I think Mariel (Wilner) has done a real nice job with her to build her up and I know the team feels as comfortable as they can feel with her behind us.
Are you set for your defense?
Walsh: We have two sorted. Jessie Davis and Denay (Riley) are two easy pieces, I'd say. Throughout preseason we've seen about six consistent pieces that we're pretty sure will be in our starting lineup and from there, it's different players stepping up every day. But knowing that, we've got a block of Alyssa, Jessie, and Denay right in front of our goal which makes us feel pretty good.
How's the midfield going?
Walsh: I think the combination of Melissa Hayes and Sheree Gray will be able to compete against any midfield that we face this year. Obviously, when we get Jean into the mix as well, that will be another piece. I'm sure there's room for all three of them in there somewhere. It's just a question of how it's going to come together. Obviously, we've got Melissa Hayes that will sit in front of the back four and she's comfortable with the ball, and a good leader and when you've got Sheree running out of the midfield at their backline, that's not a picture that anyone wants to see I don't think.
Was the transition from North Carolina pretty easy for Melissa Hayes?
Walsh: Well, credit to these guys that they brought her in and welcomed her and made her feel a piece of it. Obviously, it's never easy leaving a national championship team, but I think she feels as big a part of this team as any one else in the group. I checked in with her a couple of times and I think the smile on her face tells me everything I need to know.
Talking about Melissa... playing with experience, winning national title... what do you feel has been holding Penn State back from not just dominating the Big Ten, but winning on the national level and going to the championship game?
Aden-Buie: I think it's just getting down to the fine details of this team. Making sure that everyone is on the same page from now on- from preseason until all the way at the end. It's a really long season. In the years that I've been here and before, Penn State has been a pretty high contender for the national championship and we've gotten pretty close. I think it's just going the extra distance like down to the details, and I think that's what's going to take in winning a national championship and hopefully we can take care of those and all work together to get as close as we can.
Aubrey, after what you did last year scoring 12 goals, you're probably a target. How have you gotten yourself ready for the type of marking?
Aden-Buie: I'm just ready to go out and play my game and with scoring goals, you're going to get the extra marking but that opens up other players and we have such great forwards. So if I get a mark then Shep (Kate Schoepfer) is going to be open or Ashley (Myers) is going to be open and they're amazing scorers, so I think as a team we're not going to have any problems scoring.
What type of test will you get this weekend at Tennessee? They're a pretty good team.
Walsh: I think we're going to get a test on a lot of fronts. We're going to get the first game, an opportunity to finally get out there and go after what they've been working hard for the last nine months. The experience of the travel, I know Megan Gill has never gotten herself on an airplane, so we'll have a whole new experience for one of our players. The weather is going to be an issue. I know when scheduling, my goal is to put these guys outside of their comfort zone as much as possible, especially early on in the season and I think Tennessee, that trip to Tennessee will put these guys as far out of their comfort zone, and if they can handle that environment, I think they'll be more than prepared to come back here to State College and face the home opener as well as one of the toughest teams in the country in Texas A&M.
How do you anticipate Megan Gill's contribution to the team?
Walsh: I've had a lot of player meetings over the past two days and there are very few names that have come up in those player meetings more than Megan Gill. I like to ask the veteran players about some of the young players and how they're adapting, I know I've been impressed, the rest of the coaching staff has been impressed, and I think these guys have been impressed with her work rate and who she is as a person. She's a good soccer player. She's had (assistant coach) Michael Coll as her coach since she was about 14 and you can tell, she has a great brain for the game and she looks as if she's coming out of California or Virginia or one of these other regions. My hope is it will bring more players into State College and hopefully will be seeing more Megan Gills come out of this area because we'd love to keep them in-house.
Another freshman, Megan Monroig, looks pretty good in the backline defensively...
Walsh: (She has a) great pace. In the attack, she can break down players. She's shown that against some of her veteran players in the first couple days of preseason. She's been a real pleasant addition to the group. Obviously, speed kills and I think that with a little bit of experience, she's a player that can help us. That's the first time she's ever stepped into the backline (on Saturday).