Nov. 14, 2015
By Jack Dougherty, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" The Penn State women's soccer team defeated UAlbany 5-0 on Friday night to advance to the second round of the 2015 NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament. Penn State will play the winner of St. John's-Boston on Nov. 20 at Jeffrey Field.
The Nittany Lions have now advanced past the round of 64 in each of the past seven seasons. Penn State improves its impressive home record in the NCAA Tournament to 33-6-1.
"We talk everyday about what Penn State pride means and what playing on Jeffrey Field means," said head coach Erica Walsh. "We're making sure that that's tangible and that playing on Jeffrey Field doesn't necessarily mean we win games. These guys have embraced that concept."
It was all Penn State from the opening whistle to the final horn. Penn State started the match aggressively in the first half playing into the wind on a gusty night in Happy Valley, and it didn't take long to get on the board.
In the fifth minute, sophomore Megan Schafer tallied her team leading 11th goal of the season thanks to an Albany defensive mishap. The wind also played a factor in the blunder, as the attempted headed clearance hung in the air and Schafer was all over it in front of the net to finish the loose ball.
Penn State, a dominating team when striking first, kept its foot on the pedal immediately after gaining the lead.
In the 16th minute, Brittany Basinger scored a rare goal from her left back position. The redshirt sophomore created space down the left side and sent a cross in the box from nearly 30 yards out. Amazingly, the ball skipped through the middle without being touched and bounced off the far post and in to give Penn State the early two-goal lead.
Sophomore midfielder Emily Ogle cushioned the Nittany Lion lead to three just four minutes later with a long strike from outside the box. The goal marked her fourth of 2015.
"We talked about coming out strong and setting the tone the whole game," Ogle said. "I think scoring in the first five minutes allowed us to settle down and get a feel for the game."
Penn State utterly dominated the first half, outshooting the Great Danes 18-1 and controlling possession the entire 45 minutes. UAlbany only congregated two offensive attacks in the half.
The second half featured more of the same, as Penn State continued to control possession and have their way with the Albany back line.
Penn State tacked on two more goals, including another from Ogle and one from freshman Charlotte Williams. Mallory Weber tallied the assist on Ogle's 56th minute goal and became the 10th Nittany Lion to notch 100 points in their career in the process.
"Mallory Weber is easily the hardest working college player that I've ever coached," said Walsh. "She creates so much out of nothing at times. The day she stepped into the Penn State program she set the standard and she's been doing it ever since."