Dec. 3, 2014
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; Dec. 3, 2014 - The Penn State women's soccer team put four players on the NSCAA All-Great Lakes Region teams, with Whitney Church (Ashburn, Va.) and Raquel Rodriguez (San Jose, Costa Rica) capturing first team honors and Emily Hurd (Sammamish, Wash.) and Emily Ogle (Strongsville, Ohio) garnering third team accolades.
A MAC Hermann Trophy Award semifinalist and the Big Ten Defender of the Year, Church collects the second All-Great Lakes Region first team selection of her career. The senior concludes her career as Penn State's leader in minutes played (8,243), logging at least 90 minutes in 20 matches this season. She commanded one of the top defenses in the nation, which allowed more than one goal just twice and recorded nine clean sheets.
Rodriguez, the 2014 Big Ten Midfielder of the Year, is a first team honoree after earning a spot on the third team each of her first two seasons. The junior set the tempo of the Nittany Lions' hugely successful midfield; in 1,278 minutes on the pitch over 18 games played, she netted a career-high seven goals, notched three assists and took 37 shots.
Hurd appears on an NSCAA All-Great Lakes Region team for the first time in her career. The All-Big Ten second team pick finishes her career seventh on Penn State's all-time assists list with 28, leading the Nittany Lions with eight, tied for her career-best mark.
The Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Ogle receives the honor after logging 1,922 minutes and starting every Penn State match. The midfielder scored a trio of goals and posted six assists with four of her helpers coming in Big Ten play.
The Nittany Lions wrapped up the 2014 campaign in Penn State's 20th-straight NCAA Tournament appearance with the 10th Elite Eight match in program history at Texas A&M on Nov. 29. Putting up its seventh 20-win season, the Blue and White won its 16th conference title in 17 years, a record unmatched by any Division I program.