Aug. 17, 2011
2011 PSU Women's Soccer Yearbook
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The 2011 Penn State sports season is upon us and in customary fashion, the Nittany Lion women's soccer team kicks off the athletic calendar. With 13 straight Big Ten titles to its name, the PSU women's soccer squad is the most revered in conference history and looks to continue its legacy in 2011 by winning a 14th consecutive title and a 17th straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Leading the charge are a pair of hard-nosed and All-Big Ten defenders in senior Emma Thomson (Nottinghamshire, England) and junior Lexi Marton (Aurora, Ontario). The duo comprises the central defense for Penn State as well as the captaincy, both sharing honors this year in Thomson's second stint and Marton's debut. Thomson earned All-Big Ten Second Team honors for the first time in the absence of Marton, who went down after seven games following a knee sprain at Portland in 2010. Prior to the injury, Marton was a 2009 unanimous pick to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team and an All-Big Ten Second Team member.
Capping the defensive line's veteran corps will be senior Carly Niness (Berwyn, Pa.) who has risen to be an important defender after transitioning from forward and midfield her first two seasons in Happy Valley. Niness was tabbed as one of three PSU players to watch by the Big Ten's preseason rankings. Another key defender to keep an eye on will be Bri Hovington (Lothian, Md.) who garnered All-Big Ten Freshman Team honors in 2010 as a right back.
On the other side of the field, goal scorers Christine Nairn (Arnold, Md.), Maya Hayes (West Orange, Calif.) and Tani Costa (Honolulu, Hawaii) are three main weapons at head coach Erica Walsh's disposal.
Nairn notched her first NSCAA All-America honors after another fine season patrolling the central midfield, unleashing seven goals, six assists and 20 points from her position.
Meanwhile, Costa proved to be X-factor in her inaugural season as the then-redshirt freshman led the squad with nine goals and five assists for 23 points. Costa earned All-Big Ten honors for her play and scored PSU's 19th hat trick against Indiana on the way to a five-goal week against the Hoosier State schools.
Completing the trifecta is Hayes who started 13 contests as a freshman, tallying five goals and 11 points overall. Hayes has been a mainstay with the U.S. U-20 National Team and had a successful spring and summer coming into 2011.
Returning to the fold and helping out on offense will be Taylor Schram (Canonsburg, Pa.), who notched two goals and three assists in 21 games. The tiny midfielder was a powerful presence in the air as evidenced by her exciting game-tying goal against No. 15 Minnesota last season. Joining Schram in the midfield will be senior stalwarts Jess Rosenbluth (Gladwyne, Pa.) and Ali Schaefer (Las Vegas, Nevada). Rosenbluth started 19 games on the right flank and provided three assists and countless attacking possibilities with her crafty play and excellent passing. Schaefer provides the heart of the club and gave Nittany Nation a real thrill when she scored the game-winning and Big Ten clinching goal vs. Michigan this past November.
Two other veterans in the midfield will be Maddy Evans (Glenside, Pa.) and Bri Garcia (Babylon, N.Y.). Each scored a game-winning goal last season and will provide Walsh needed depth in central midfield. Another option off the bench in the middle will be 2008 All-Big Ten member Meghan Gill (State College, Pa.) in her final campaign for the Blue & White.
In net, newcomer Erin McNulty (Winnipeg, Manitoba) will be called upon early and often for the Nittany Lions. The former Canadian youth international star comes from a successful stint at Florida State and is completing her master's degree at PSU. McNulty posted a 0.91 goals against average with a .758 save percentage in 52 games with the Seminoles. Backing McNulty up will be senior Krissy Tribbett (Centennial, Colo.) and redshirt junior Kristin Hartmann (Katy, Texas).
In addition to McNulty, nine other newcomers join the PSU family and several are expected to have important impacts. Kori Chapic (Novelty, Ohio) can play anywhere on the field and was recently in the U-20 camp with Hayes this past summer as a left back. Another defender, Whitney Church (Ashburn, Va.) will be vying for playing time in the defense, while Kindrah Kohne (Homer, N.Y.) will sneak into the game up top or in midfield.
Two freshmen that didn't play last season look to crack the lineup this year. Emily Hurd (Sammamish, Wash.) was unable to compete last year due to a stress fracture and has the chance to start on the left wing, while Ellen Arnaud (Dallas, Pa.) is a scoring threat as a redshirt freshman.
In search of another Big Ten title, the Penn State women's soccer team sets its sights on securing another piece of glory. After turbulent beginnings in 2009 and 2010, the 2011 team wishes to open on a positive note through the non-conference season. They open Friday against the second-ranked squad in the nation, Stanford (10:00 p.m. ET), in Palo Alto, Calif. Other non-conference highlights include 15th-ranked West Virginia at home (Aug. 26, 7:30 p.m.) and at No. 10 Virginia (Sept. 11, 2:30 p.m.)
On the conference side of things, the Nittany Lions get right into it at Wisconsin (Sept. 17, 2:00 p.m. ET). The Badgers have been to two straight NCAA Tournaments and are 1-0-1 against PSU the past two seasons. A visit by No. 24 Illinois (Sept. 25, 1:00 p.m.) sets up the highlight fixture of the Big Ten women's soccer season on Thursday, Sept. 29. Under the lights at Jeffrey Field, 2010 co-champions Penn State and Ohio State, ranked eighth coming off a College Cup run, will square off at 7:00 p.m.
PSU travels to No. 22 Minnesota Oct. 2 for another nailbiting tilt as the past six meetings have been. Two more conference highlights will be Nebraska's first visit to Happy Valley as a member of the Big Ten in any sport when the Huskers play at Jeffrey on Oct. 14. PSU's lone TV game of the season is Oct. 23 at Michigan, a Noon tilt on the Big Ten Network and a rematch of the thrilling double-overtime win last November.
The Big Ten Tournament is back and hosted by Northwestern, November 2-6. The quarterfinals begin on Wednesday the second before semifinals commence on Friday the fourth, televised live on BTN. The Championship game is slated for Sunday, Nov. 6 at 4:00 p.m. on Big Ten Network.
--NITTANY LIONS--