Feb. 6, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.--The Penn State women's soccer team celebrated the team's 12th-straight Big Ten title and 15th-straight NCAA Tournament appearance in 2009, and on Saturday afternoon, remembered the season that was. Seniors Katie Schoepfer (Waterford, Conn.) and Alyssa Naeher (Seymour, Conn.) took home the team's MVP honors.
The Nittany Lions went 13-6-2 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2009, capturing the Big Ten Conference crown along the way. The Big Ten championship was the squad's 12th-straight, tying the program with Michigan swimming & diving as the most consecutive championships by a women's team in the league.
Schoepfer garnered two awards on Saturday at the Nittany Lion Inn, picking up the team's Offensive MVP and the overall Most Valuable Player awards. Fellow senior, Naeher, was named the team's Defensive MVP. Both were obvious choices for the team's top honors as the duo picked up the Big Ten's Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year honors, respectively. Schoepfer will move on and ply her trade as a member of defending WPS Champion Sky Blue FC of New Jersey. Naeher, who just returned from a 20-day training camp with the U.S. Women's National Team in Carson, Calif., will play for the Boston Breakers this summer in the WPS.
Naeher's understudy during the 2009 season was Kristin Hartmann (Katy, Texas), who garnered the squad's Most Improved Award. Hartmann, who redshirted her freshman year, saw time in four games this season behind the three-time NSCAA All-American, making a save in 30 minutes of play. More importantly, she, along with Krissy Tribbett (Centennial, Colo.) are primed to take over for Naeher in the 2010 season.
Senior Melissa Hayes (Cave Creek, Ariz.) was honored with the Rodney Swineford Memorial Award for her success on and off the field. Hayes served as team captain during the 2008 campaign and patrolled the midfield for the Nittany Lions in 2009. Hayes also gathered the Big Ten's Sportsmanship Award presented in November.
Four other seniors, Alli Rago (Fairfield, Conn.), Maura Ryan (Doylestown, Pa.), Tara Davies (Cape May Court House, N.J.) and Nikki Watts (Hungerford, England) were also individually honored for their dedication and loyalty to the Nittany Lion team over the years.
Penn State will return six starters from last year's team and opens spring play on February 27 against West Virginia in Holuba Hall. Details about the spring schedule will be released early next week on GoPSUsports.com.
Catch the Nittany Lions on Twitter: @PSUWomensSoccer
--NITTANY LIONS--