Aug. 26, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State women's soccer head coach Erica Walsh and senior midfielder Melissa Hayes answered questions from the media on Wednesday afternoon.
HEAD COACH Erica Walsh
Playing quality non-conference opponents prior to Big Ten season
Well you obviously want to get an idea of where you are. I think after these first six games we will have a very good idea of where we are. You want your back line to get broken down, to get exposed and you want your goalkeeper to be forced to make saves so you can make changes in defense. We try to put the best teams that we can get on the schedule early on and challenge our players. We see which players rise to the challenge and which one need a little bit more time.
The 1-0 win on Friday night over then-No. 9 Virginia
Well I think what you saw on Friday night vs. Virginia that the freshmen get nervous obviously in front of 3,000 fans. It was a fantastic environment out there with great crowd support. The first fifteen minutes were frantic and exciting, and once it settled down it got a whole lot better. You need to stress your players early by putting then in tough situations and challenging environments to see what they're made of.
Outlook of the team going forward
I think up top we will be very strong with Katie Schoepfer and Danielle Toney. They are leaders and proven and goal scorers. They combine very well together to just make each other better. We are solid in goal with Alyssa Naeher and I think straight up our spine you will see great leadership with Lexi [Marton] and Emma [Thomson] in our back line, Melissa [Hayes] holding our back line in the midfield, and Christine Nairn. Now she comes back from sickness and illness so she is getting stronger and more fit.
On Carly Niness
Starting at left midfield this last game was Carly Niness last game vs. Virginia. Carly is someone who was choosing between Penn State soccer and Virginia track & field. She is a big specimen. She is athletic, fast and fantastic in the air. She got a few good minutes last season, but she is someone we are looking to invest in and bring out the best in her because we think her qualities can really help us.
Improving set pieces from last season
We went back and looked at last year's set pieces. In one of our set pieces was Zoe Bouchelle sitting at five feet, three inches tall. In contrast this year we have Lexi Marton standing at six-foot tall. I think where we thought of it as a weakness last fall, we feel the exact opposite this fall. It is something we are really working towards. We spent a lot of time on set pieces and a lot of time trying to create set pieces, and it's a big focus for our team.
On preparations for West Virginia and Connecticut this weekend
Well the neat thing about UConn and West Virginia is that year in and year out we know a lot about their squad and they know a lot about our squad. So there is a familiarity in each of these matches. It will be interesting to see how West Virginia will be in the 4-3-3 and we expect them to be very tough in the middle. Each of these games brings a different challenge. I think West Virginia will bring a great battling mentality where as UConn year in and year out are disciplined, organized and well coached. Hopefully our senior leadership will carry us through these two games.
This year's schedule vs. last year's schedule
We started last season playing three teams in the top-five and got challenged, which will put you on your heels and sometime make you struggle heading into the second half of the season. Our hope and desire is to get out ahead this year of big contenders this year. I think with a lot of seniors it improves the mentality of our squad this year and it will help us ride that wave into Big Ten play.
Importance of winning 12th-straight Big Ten title
For me as a coach, my focus is on performance and making sure they are playing up to the level and capability they have. For the players, I think it is very exciting for them and they take great pride in the rings that they wear and the trophies that they have. My biggest concern is just putting together a more consistent performance and getting better and better each game.
Senior leadership roles on team
I have already seen it in the work ethic of Alyssa [Naeher] and Katie [Schoepfer]. We have big players. We know we have a lone captain but these guys have already stepped up and have figured out their role in the leadership of the team. Where one lacks a certain quality, the other picks up that quality. I think between the seven of them, the seven of the group can be very special from a leadership sense.
Players' reactions to the rankings
I think as a team we wanted to stay at least top ten to just get good and build confidence from it. Its great to know when you are at that caliber, and it really makes us close as a team.
Leadership on the team from the forwards
I think it's a big help and it kind of relieves a lot of pressure from [Danielle] Toney and [Katie] Schoepfer up top. It gives us another left end we can rely on. Ali Schaefer scored a great goal. It was awesome and exciting and I hope we can capitalize a lot this year.
Circumstances and differences of a Monday afternoon game
It's nice to have a game at that time. We practice at that time most of the time. We play during that time for Sunday games, so it won't be much that different.
Top Big Ten games to look forward to
Minnesota was so great last year. They lost a lot of players. They should still be a strong team though. Obviously we lost to Michigan State last year so we definitely want that one back.
Penn State Invitational Central: gopsusports.com/sports/w-soccer/psuinvite09.html.
For complete coverage of all the Nittany Lion women's soccer this season, go to www.GoPSUsports.com/sports/w-soccer.
Follow Penn State women's soccer on Twitter: @PSUWomensSoccer
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