Dec. 30, 2009
PHILADELPHIA, Pa.--The Penn State women's soccer team saw five of its own named to the Philly Soccer News Best XI presented by the Philadelphia Independence on Tuesday evening. The Nittany Lions had the most representatives on the squad.
Freshman defender Lexi Marton (Aurora, Ontario), senior goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher (Seymour, Conn.), freshman midfielder Christine Nairn (Bowie, Md.), senior forward Katie Schoepfer (Waterford, Conn.) and junior forward Danielle Toney (Northville, Mich.) garnered spots on the Best XI.
Naeher, Nairn, Schoepfer and Toney all garnered NSCAA First Team All-Great Lakes recognition as well as First Team All-Big Ten accolades this season, while Marton was a Second Team All-Big Ten selection. Naeher and Schoepfer collected NSCAA Third Team All-America honors, giving Naeher three-straight All-American honors and moving Schoepfer into multi-All-American status.
Schoepfer was also a semifinalist for the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy Award this season in addition to being named an NSCAA First Team Scholar All-American and Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. Naeher was dubbed the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Nairn the Freshman Player of the Year and head coach Erica Walsh as the Big Ten's Coach of the Year for leading the squad to its record-tying 12th-straight Big Ten championship.
Naeher, Nairn and Schoepfer wrapped up a training camp with the U.S. National and U-23 Teams in Carson, Calif. earlier this month while awaiting the 2010 Women's Professional Soccer draft in January. Naeher and Schoepfer will be honored as part of the NSCAA Convention at the All-America Luncheon to be held Jan. 16, 2010 in Philadelphia.
For complete coverage of 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--