Sept. 12, 2013
By Matt Allibone, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Ask any member of the Penn State women's soccer team what their favorite part of being a Nittany Lion is and you'll likely hear the atmosphere of Jeffrey Field mentioned many times.
It is an atmosphere that the Lions will have to adjust to being away from this weekend, when they finish off a three game road stretch with road matches against Oklahoma State on Friday and Tulsa on Sunday.
Despite being away from the comforts of home, head coach Erica Walsh and her squad are excited to take on the challenge.
"Having a stretch of three road games in one week is a massive test for us," said Walsh. "It's good to put ourselves through this to see what we're made of."
Having started off the week with a dominating 6-0 victory over Bucknell on Tuesday, the Nittany Lions will enter the weekend with their momentum as high as it's been all season.
Walsh, who couldn't help but smile as she watched her team finish practice on Wednesday, said that this as strong as she has seen her group look in a long time.
"The mentality of this group is fantastic right now," said Walsh. "So much of any sport is momentum and I think we're in a good place right now."
Having a tough mentality will be key for the Nittany Lions against Oklahoma State, where they will face not only a hungry opponent but also a hostile crowd.
Although the prospect of playing in front of opposing fans might scare some, both Walsh and her players maintained that their familiarity with playing in front of passionate supporters on their home turf would translate nicely on the road.
"Any kind of big crowd environment is going to get you excited," said redshirt junior captain Emily Hurd. "Having that atmosphere creates a different kind of energy on the field whether you're home or away."
The biggest adjustment that this week has presented for the Nittany Lions has been having to travel three separate times during the week.
While the constant travel is a departure from what the team is currently used to, Hurd and her teammates are looking at it simply as extra opportunities to compete.
"Obviously this week is a bit different but we've just got to roll with the punches," said Hurd. "I don't look at it as a disadvantage as long as we just go about our business."
With Penn State beginning their Big Ten schedule next week against Northwestern, they know how key it is for them to finish off this road stretch strong.
The Nittany Lions want to be at the top of their game when they take on their conference opponents, so it is extra important that they keep their momentum going strong throughout the weekend.
"I think ending on a high note will put us on good terms heading into the Big Ten part of our schedule," said sophomore Mallory Weber. "We want to keep this streak of shutouts going."
In Penn State's last three games, they have outscored their opponents by a score of 12-1, and have answered Walsh's early season challenge of keeping their energy consistent for an entire game.
Despite the team playing their best soccer of the season, Hurd stressed that this is not the time for the team to get complacent, as there is always aspects of their game to work on moving forward.
"As you progress through a season you always see new pieces of your game that you need to work on," said Hurd. "We're starting to get the hang of playing strong for a full 90 minutes and we're really getting into rhythm."
Though it would be easy for the 13th ranked Nittany Lions to overlook their two unranked opponents this weekend, Walsh and her crew are preparing as they always would.
As long as they stick to their game plan and keep their focus, they know it doesn't matter who their opponent is.
"We're trying to take it one game at a time and focus on what we need to do," said Hurd. "Once we get the results we need we can move on."