Sept. 10, 2008
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Newcomer Nikki Watts (Hungerford, England) earned kudos from Soccer Buzz after an outstanding performance in two Penn State wins, including an overtime thriller at Rutgers. The Elite Team of the Week honor is the junior's first weekly accolade since joining the Nittany Lions this fall.
Watts continues to stun Penn State's opponents, scoring both gamewinners this past weekend including a thriller in double overtime on the road. Against a feisty Rutgers team on Friday in front of a rowdy crowd of Scarlet Knight supporters, Watts took only two shots, but made her second count, burying a Dani Toney pass to give the No. 10 Nittany Lions a 1-0 victory over Rutgers in the 109th minute of play. On Sunday, Watts assisted the Nittany Lions' second goal of the day before depositing the go-ahead score off a Katie Schoepfer pass in the 60th minute. Watts now has a team-leading four goals, including the game-winners from this past weekend, and has also added an assist for nine points through five games.
The Nittany Lions travel to Storrs, Conn. this coming weekend for the UCONN Classic. Penn State meets Brown on Friday evening, Sept. 12, at 5 p.m. before taking on host and 19th-ranked Connecticut on Sunday, Sept. 14, at 2:30 p.m. The longest road stretch of Penn State's season continues when the Nittany Lions travel to Harrisonburg, Va. for a Fox Soccer Channel match-up on Thursday, Sept. 18 at 8 p.m. In back-to-back national TV appearances, Penn State finally returns home to host No. 5 Notre Dame on Sunday, Sept. 21 for a 1 p.m. match on the Big Ten Network.
--NITTANY LIONS