Oct. 8, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women's soccer team will welcome two of its all-time greats during halftime of Friday's match against Northwestern. Christie Welsh, the 2001 MAC Hermann Trophy winner, and two-time First Team All-Big Ten member Bonnie Young, will return to Happy Valley for the 7:00 p.m. game.
Welsh, currently with Saint Louis Athletica of the Women's Pro Soccer league, is the best soccer player Penn State has had in its 15-plus years. Welsh was named NSCAA First-Team All-America three times (1999-2001), while earning the highest honor in soccer, the MAC Hermann Trophy. She was also a two-time runner-up for the award in 2000 and 2002.
The 2003 graduate out of Massapequa Park, N.Y., Welsh amassed 82 goals, 52 assists for 216 points, second all-time in PSU history for goals and points. Welsh is the current record holder for all- hat tricks at Penn State, recording eight altogether, including two four-game masterpieces. She was a member of two Women's College Cup appearances (1999 and 2002).
After her stellar Penn State career, Welsh went on to be a member of the U.S. Senior National Team from 2002-2008. She competed for the squad in the 2001 and 2005 Algarve Cups as well as the 2007 World Cup Send-Off Series.
Young was a year ahead of Welsh, playing from 1998-2001. A member of the 1999 Women's College Cup team, Young was a two-time First Team All-Big Ten selection in 2000 and 2001 as a defender.
An important piece during Penn State's rise as a national powerhouse, Young was a strong defender for the Nittany Lions, twice earning Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year awards at Penn State. She was an All-Mid-Atlantic Region pick by the NSCAA in 2001 and a 1998 Mid-Atlantic Region All-Freshman team member.
After graduating from Penn State, Young went on to the professional ranks, drafted in 2002 to the New York Power of the WUSA in the second round. After the demise of the league in 2004, Young returned to professional American soccer when the Chicago Red Stars of the upstart WPS league drafted her in 2009.
Penn State women's soccer takes great pride in welcoming back all its alumni to home events during the season. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. against Northwestern on Friday with Greek Night as the night's promotion welcoming all sororities and fraternities to Jeffrey Field. Penn State concludes its three-game home stand on Sunday against Iowa at 11:00 a.m.
For more information on Penn State women's soccer, please visit http://www.GoPSUsports.com/sports/w-soccer.
Follow Penn State women's soccer on Twitter: @PSUWomensSoccer
--NITTANY LIONS--