Sep 6, 2013
By Matt Allibone, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA- The whistle to end practice had long since been blown, and yet there was Mallory Peterson, refusing to stop working in the corner of the field.
The Penn State women's soccer team had been finished drills for nearly a half hour, but the sophomore reserve forward wanted to make sure she got the maximum number of touches possible.
"That's Mallory in a nutshell," said head coach Erica Walsh. "She's doesn't care if anyone sees her, she just wants to work."
This all-guts, no-glory attitude is common among the Nittany Lions reserves, and if you ask Walsh, it is one of the things that has helped bring them to the next level.
While star players like All-American Maya Hayes may make the majority of the headlines, both the coaches and players at Penn State know how much of an impact players like Peterson, junior defender Kindrah Kohne, and graduate student forward Emily Carrollo have been able to make coming off the bench.
"These are (players) that make us better every day," said Walsh. "They have great attention to detail and everyone from the starters to the staff notices."
With the Lions playing two matches in three days most weekends, their bench has already been extremely vital in providing fresh legs and energy at a moment's notice.
This was extremely evident in last Sunday's, 5-1, win over LaSalle, in which Carrollo provided 48 minutes off the bench, Kohne gave 41, and Peterson chipped in 37.
"I think that they were the difference maker on Sunday," said senior midfielder Taylor Schram. "We had some tired legs from the other night and players like Kindrah and Mallory really buzzed around and lifted the energy and that's what we need."
Kohne, who has been a key cog in the Nittany Lions defense since her freshmen year in 2011, made several huge stops against LaSalle to prevent the Explorers from tying the game early in the second half.
For the Homer, N.Y. native, coming off the bench to infuse energy into her teammates is second nature by this point.
"Sometimes in the swing of the game you need someone to come in and be that catalyst," said Kohne. "The most important thing for me is to bring some change and make some plays on defense or in the attack."
Peterson, whose ability to play both forward and midfield has been invaluable to the Nittany Lions, attributed her and her fellow reserves performance to their understanding of their roles.
"All of us coming off the bench know it's our responsibility as fresh legs to pick the level up," said Peterson. "We need to support the players who have been out there so its just commitment on everyone's part."
Although Peterson admitted it was originally tough having to come off the bench after being a starter throughout high school, the reassurance of the rest of the team helped her make the transition.
"It was an adjustment as a freshmen and I had to mentally get used to it," said Peterson. "Having my teammates and coaches tell me they still needed me helped me put in the work to be ready when (the coaches) needed me to go in."
Another difficult aspect about being a reserve that Kohne and Peterson have learned to adapt to has been making an impact directly upon entering a match.
While most starters have the chance to find the rhythm and flow of the game, reserves know they must provide an instant spark or their time on the field may be short.
"There's a little bit of pressure (coming off the bench) because you don't want to go in and make plays," said Kohne, "but once you make a few touches and get your confidence going you feel fine."
While not having the opportunity to start and having their minutes vary from game to game might bother some, the Nittany Lions reserves have embraced their role because they know that all of them are working towards the same goal.
It is this type of mindset that has helped the team develop chemistry no matter what combination of players is on the field.
"Even though they don't get as many reps as (the starters) they still come in at fit with our rhythm," said Schram. "It really shows how engaged our players are and the concentration they have."
Although they may not lead the team in goals scored, everyone in the Penn State program knows the impact that players like Carrollo. Kohne and Peterson have on the squad.
"They will leave a legacy on this program," said Walsh. "It might be a different kind of legacy than someone like Maya (Hayes) but it's just as valuable."