Aug. 28, 2008
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - After a dominating 3-1 win over William & Mary in the season opener, Penn State's next contest signals a return home for the Nittany Lions as they host Florida State, Hofstra and Connecticut in their annual home tournament. Penn State opens its Jeffrey Field slate with a 5 p.m. CODE BLUE event vs. No. 4 Florida State, a familiar foe for head coach Erica Walsh who came to Penn State after an assistant coaching stint at FSU. Hofstra and Connecticut meet in the second game at 7:30 p.m. On Sunday, Aug. 31, Connecticut and Florida State will battle at noon, while Penn State and Hofstra meet for the first time since their NCAA second-round thriller last season, a match the Nittany Lions won 2-1 in overtime. The PSU/Hofstra match begins at 2:30 p.m. Gametracker links for the entire tournament can be found by visiting Tournament Central.
Penn State Blasts William & Mary, 3-1, in Season Opener
No. 9 Penn State opened its 2008 campaign Saturday with a convincing 3-1 victory at William & Mary, a team just out of the preseason Top 25. The 10-time defending Big Ten champion Nittany Lions got goals from senior midfielder Zoe Bouchelle (Cockeysville, Md.), sophomore forward Dani Toney (Northville, Mich.) and junior midfielder Alli Rago (Fairfield, Conn.) to start the season off with a well-balanced attack.
"As expected, the first 15-20 minutes of the game we were a little jittery... a little excited, but then we settled down," said PSU head coach Erica Walsh, who just returned back from helping the U.S. Women's National Team to a gold medal at the Beijing Olympic Games. "It was a good performance from our veterans and the young players looked excited and comfortable like they had been playing with each other for months. It was a great team effort."
The 5-5 Bouchelle elevated to head-in Penn State's first goal of the season off a corner kick from junior midfielder Melissa Hayes (Cave Creek, Ariz.). The Nittany Lions took the 1-0 lead into the locker room at halftime, then used the first five minutes of the second half to make a statement, going up 3-0 on the Tribe with two quick goals.
Speedy sophomore forward Toney made the first deposit off an outstanding pass from freshman defender Emma Thompson (Retford, England) at the 48:30 mark to put the Nittany Lions up 2-0. Toney had the helper on the next goal when Rago converted on the breakaway from the left side into the upper right corner. Rago also had an great outing in her first start for the Nittany Lions. William & Mary got their lone goal of the night when Claire Zimmeck headed in the assist from Stephanie Gerow, deep on the endline.
Penn State dominated shots 14-5 and forced the Tribe's goalkeepers to have to make five saves. Nittany Lion All-American goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher (Seymour, Conn.) had one save and allowed one goal. Senior central midfielder Jessie Davis (Fairfax, Va.) put in a solid performance as did freshman defender Thompson.
Gold Medal? Check! Jet-Lag? Check! 9 A.M. Team Breakfast? Check!
Friday night, or Saturday morning depending on how you look at it, Penn State head coach Erica Walsh arrived back in the United States from Beijing. Fresh off helping the U.S. Women's National Team to a gold medal in the Olympic Games, Walsh landed at midnight Eastern Time to Norfolk, Va., and traveled straight to William & Mary, arriving at approximately 1:30 a.m. Walsh was with Penn State for team breakfast at 9 a.m. and, of course, on the sidelines for the Nittany Lions' 3-1 defeat of her alma mater William & Mary.
Walsh Wins in Beijing
Head coach Erica Walsh was announced as an assistant coach on the United States Women's National Team squad back in January. She and the team had one goal in mind and that was gold in Beijing. Walsh endured a grueling travel schedule that caused her to jump in and out of University Park throughout the summer. Her commitment paid off August 21 as she watched the team she helped coach defeat Brazil, 1-0, in overtime to capture the gold medal. Her travel nightmare was not over as she had to fly back to Williamsburg, Va. to catch Penn State's season opener August 23.
Three Nittany Lions on M.A.C. Hermann Trophy Preseason List
The watch list for the Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy has been announced and among the 47 top women's Division I soccer players were three Nittany Lions. Redshirt-senior Zoe Bouchelle, junior Alyssa Naeher and junior Katie Schoepfer were all named to the list. Penn State was one of only three schools to have three players named to the list. Included in that elite group was defending National Champions USC and North Carolina.
These selections mark the ninth consecutive year that a Nittany Lion has been on the preseason watch list for the nation's top player. Since 2000, a Penn State player has been the runner-up for the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy five times.
A Decade of Dominance
The Nittany Lions have won 10-straight Big Ten titles dating back to the 1998 season. Over that same span they have only lost six Big Ten games going 89-6-4 in conference play. They enter the 2008 season as favorites once again with hopes of attaining that 11th championship. The championship streak is tied for the second longest in Big Ten women's championship history with a current string of women's tennis championships at Northwestern. Michigan women's swimming & diving leads all-time with 12.
All-American Duo Return
Juniors Alyssa Naeher and Katie Schoepfer were named All-Americans a season ago with Naeher taking first team honors and Schoepfer garnering second team praise. They became the 10th and 11th Nittany Lions ever selected as All-Americans. They also were the fifth and sixth to be named as sophomores. The four others went on to be named All-Americans their final two years in Happy Valley.
Nittany Lions Start Season at No. 9
The National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) released its 2008 Pre-Season Division I Women's Soccer Poll with the Nittany Lions receiving a No. 9 ranking. Penn State ended the season ranked 12 in the final poll despite spending most of the season within the Top 10. Defending champ USC starts the year at the top of the poll again.
Penn State is the top-ranked Big Ten team with the Illinois coming in at 19 and Purdue at 24. Indiana and Ohio State both received votes in the first poll just falling short of the Top 25.
PSU's opening weekend opponent the College of William & Mary was the last team out falling just four votes shy of the last slot.
Six of the Nittany Lions' opponents are ranked in the poll including Illinois and Purdue. The others include No. 4 Florida State, No. 5 Notre Dame, No. 6 Portland and No. 11 Connecticut.
Catch the Nittany Lions on Television This Fall
Check you local listings to follow the women's soccer team in at least three televised appearances this year. The 10-time defending conference champions will be featured in two Big Ten Network contests, meeting up with Notre Dame at home on Sept. 21 and hosting Wisconsin on Oct. 5. Penn State will also be featured vs. James Madison on Sept. 18 in the NSCAA Fox Soccer Channel Women's College Game of the Week, a broadcast which will originate from Harrisonburg, Va.
Two New Captains Take the Reins
Senior Jessie Davis and junior Melissa Hayes (Cave Creek, Ariz.) have been tabbed as team captains in 2008. Davis was a tri-captain last season with seniors Aubrey Aden-Buie and Jean Rettig while Hayes is relatively new to the program after transferring to Penn State from North Carolina a season ago. Both Hayes and Davis have the reputation of running their portion of the field whether it be Hayes in the midfield or Davis on defense.