Aug. 24, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" Head coach Erica Walsh and the Nittany Lion women's soccer team could not have asked for a better setting to open the Penn State sports season than what they had on Friday night.
In front of a picturesque sunset in Happy Valley, more than 3,100 fans packed Jeffrey Field to cheer on the Nittany Lions in a 2-1 victory over Hofstra in the first contest of the fall.
A tremendous turnout of students, spearheaded by "Park Avenue Army" group, set the stage for an outstanding opening weekend for the sixth-ranked Nittany Lions.
"This was one of the most incredible environments we've had here at Jeffrey Field in my nine years," said head coach Erica Walsh. "In a lot of ways, those guys in the stands won the game for us by keeping our spirits up."
On the field, the Nittany Lions showed their versatility in two wins over the weekend. On Friday, senior Mallory Weber notched the first tally of the season on a great feed from freshman Ellie Jean in the 17th minute of action.
"It's always a huge emphasis to start fast," said Walsh.
The score remained 1-0 until Hofstra found the back of the net in the 65th minute of play. Nonetheless, the lead was short-lived and the Lions quickly answered. Emily Ogle deposited a perfectly placed shot into the back of the net on a free kick to give the Lions the lead for good in the 68th minute of play.
Ogle's goal was a thing of beauty off of the free kick, but the team's ability to take control so quickly after Hofstra equalized the match is what stood out on Friday night.
"So much of the character about this team was shown tonight," Walsh said. "Obviously you have to build that character over time, but we took a really positive first step in that area tonight. With a young team you're never sure what the response will be when you face a little adversity, but I was really proud of them."
Penn State showed its balance on Sunday afternoon during a 4-2 victory over Loyola Marymount. Four different players scored ââ'¬" Weber, Frannie Crouse, Charlotte Williams and Megan Schafer ââ'¬" and the Lions tallied three scores in a span of 11:06 during the second half.
The Lions accounted for 45 total shots in the opening two matches, including 19 on goal. Starting a season with two victories is a good step for a young, athletic squad.
"I think a lot of the things we did during preseason, I saw on the field," said Walsh. "It was a positive step forward."
The Nittany Lions return home on Friday for a matchup against Duke (8 p.m.). The Duke match is part of a big night on the University Park campus. The men's soccer team will kick off its season and a tripleheader on campus with a contest against San Francisco (5:30 p.m.). The two-time defending NCAA champion women's volleyball team begins its campaign at 7 p.m. against Buffalo in Rec Hall.
The fall sports season is off to an unblemished start thanks to two wins from the reigning Big Ten champion women's soccer squad.