Dec. 4, 2015
By Jack Dougherty, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
CARY, N.C. ââ'¬" Freshman defender Kaleigh Riehl could not have picked a better time to add a tally on the season score sheet.
Riehl notched the first goal of her collegiate career in the 79th minute of the College Cup semifinals to seal Penn State's 2-0 win over Rutgers (19-4-3) on Friday and send the Nittany Lions (21-3-2) to their second national championship match in program history.
"Another shutout and another goal off of set pieces, which are too things we have been focusing on so much over the last few weeks," said head coach Erica Walsh. "Obviously, it took a group of 26 players to get here and we had some good players coming off the bench. Just a really strong performance from our group."
Riehl has played exceptionally well at center back all year, but she has rarely looked to score. With elite attacking players littering the Penn State lineup, she hasn't had to. Coming into the semifinal match against Rutgers, Riehl only tallied one shot.
On the largest of stages, Riehl stepped up as she's done all season. This time, it was on the other end of the field.
After the ball bounced off multiple players at the top of the box, Riehl corralled the loose ball and curled a left-footed shot to the bottom left corner past Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year Casey Murphy.
Murphy had only surrendered eight goals in 2015 coming into Friday, but Penn State mustered two for the second straight game against the Scarlet Knights.
Sophomore Frannie Crouse propelled the Blue and White ahead in the 24th minute thanks to a rare defensive mishap by the Scarlet Knights. A lazy pass from the midfield to the back line became prey for the streaking forward, as the speedy Crouse beat Big Ten Defender of the Year Brianne Reed to the loose ball and finished over the keeper in sliding fashion.
"I was kind of high and saw that they were going to play the ball back and I felt like I was cherry picking (laughter)," said Crouse. "They played the ball back and unfortunately for them I misjudged how hard they hit it and took it as the ball was played."
Riehl's goal all but cemented Penn State's victory with 11 minutes left. She'll be remembered for her clutch, unexpected goal in the College Cup, but Riehl deserves more credit for her defensive prowess in 2015, which has only elevated in the postseason.
She has led the way in the middle for a defense that has allowed a mere 14 goals in 2015.
Riehl and the back line has been utterly dominant since the regular season ended. Penn State hasn't surrendered a goal in the tournament, and it has outscored opponents, 19-0.
Riehl has been a workhorse on the team all season long. Besides goalie Britt Eckerstrom, Riehl has logged the most minutes of anyone on the team (2,270).
"Kaleigh has a lot of skills," said Walsh. "She plays as a 25-year old veteran instead of a 18-year old freshman. Each and every game, she amazes me with her abilities and her awareness. She's just been a huge key to our success."
The defensive group turned in another outstanding effort. Rutgers was held to five shots and only one on goal in the match. Eckerstrom was needed for just one easy save on a hopeless long shot. Every other Rutgers attack ended in a Penn State steal or blocked shot.
Riehl isn't the only underclassmen who has stepped up when it has mattered most, however. In fact, underclassmen have been the main cogs in this College Cup run. Of the 19 Penn State goals in the tournament, 17 have come from freshmen and sophomores.
The back line rotation features no upperclassmen. Redshirt sophomore Brittany Basinger possesses the most experience in the group. The youngest players on the roster have risen to the occasion all tournament long, and that's why Penn State will be playing for a championship on Sunday.
"This is probably the deepest team that I've had in my nine years at Penn State," Walsh said. "It's reflective of the substitution patterns throughout the course of the season. Kaleigh Riehl scored her first goal ever in her career. You got different players stepping up at different times. You never know which player it is going to come from, so that's probably why this team has been so successful."
Penn State will face Duke in the College Cup Final on Sunday at 12 p.m. in a rematch from earlier this season. The Nittany Lions and Blue Devils played to a scoreless draw back on Aug 28, but one team will emerge victorious in the national championship bout.