Aug 27, 2013
By Matt Allibone, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA- Coming off of a tie against West Virginia in their season opener Friday night, the Penn State women's soccer team entered Sunday's match against Hofstra starving for their first victory of the season.
The Nittany Lions wasted no time displaying their hunger, taking control of the match right out of the gate with six goal-scoring opportunities in the first twenty minutes that led to two goals and ultimately a 2-1 victory.
"I thought we were off to the races from the start," said head coach Erica Walsh. "Our passes were sharp and we created some great chances those first 30 minutes."
Although the Lions missed the net with their first couple of shots, senior forward Maya Hayes got the ball rolling just 10 minutes into the match.
After making a hard cut into the box, Hayes one-timed a beautiful cross from freshmen Emily Carrollo from six yards out to put Penn State up 1-0.
"I knew Emily was going to slot (the ball) back so I tried to hold my run back a bit so I could be an option," said Hayes. "Emily put the ball right on my foot so I just had to take care of the easy part."
The Nittany Lions then refused to let up, keeping the heat on Hofstra before expanding their lead just nine minutes later on a fantastic play by sophomore forward Mallory Weber.
Following a second chance by Hayes that led to a Hofstra goal kick, Weber intercepted goalie Emily Morphitis's kick before quickly burying it in the back of the net to give her team a 2-0 advantage.
"We knew going in that they liked to play short in those situations," said Weber. "Once I saw where the goalie was looking I just played it and took a touch and that was it."
Both Weber and Hayes agreed with Walsh that the fast start and early lead was exactly what the team needed.
After needing two goals in the final ten minutes against West Virginia just to secure a tie, Walsh stated that it was very encouraging to see her squad display such high energy and urgency early in the match.
"I think it's safe to say that in any sport you want to come out quickly," said Walsh. "It's something that we've struggled with in the past but we've been focusing on it and it's starting to pay off."
Hayes added how important it was for her and her teammates to establish their momentum early, given the time of the game and the season.
"That start is exactly what we want in the early part of the season," said Hayes. "We always talk about how there's less of a crowd on Sundays so we have to make our own energy and feed off each other and that's what we did."
Hofstra battled back in the second half with an early goal by sophomore Leah Galton, along with several other opportunities, but redshirt sophomore goaltender Britt Eckerstrom refused to let the Pride tie the game.
With Hofstra keeping the ball in the Lions territory late in the match, Eckerstrom stood tall and made three clutch saves down the stretch to preserve the win for Penn State.
"I thought Britt overall this weekend was top-notch," said Walsh. "This was a big challenge for her and she was a rock. We've got ourselves a goalkeeper."
While Walsh was pleased that her team pulled out the victory, both her and her players admitted that there is plenty of room for improvement.
With a strong finish against West Virginia and a fast start against Hofstra, the Nittany Lions are now focused on keeping their energy consistent throughout the entire course of a match.
"We want to come out on Sundays and put on a show," said Hayes. "We know what we're about and what we're capable of and we just need to know when to put our foot down and gain control of the game back."
The Nittany Lions return to work on Friday when they travel to No. 8 Virginia to take on the Cavaliers.