April 12, 2016
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - With opening day rosters finalized in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) Monday, 11 former Penn State women's soccer student-athletes appeared on seven opening day rosters. Penn State's 11 alums in the NWSL ranks third behind North Carolina (15) and Florida State (14).
Britt Eckerstrom (2011-15) is on the Western New York Flash roster, Maddy Evans (2009-12) is a member of the Orlando Pride, Alyssa Naeher (2006-09) is a goalkeeper for the Chicago Red Stars, Katie Schoepfer (2006-09) plays for the Boston Breakers, Maya Hayes (2010-13) and Raquel Rodriguez (2012-15) compete for Sky Blue FC, Whitney Church (2011-14), Ali Krieger (2003-06), Joanna Lohman (2000-03) and Christine Nairn (2009-12) are on the Washington Spirit and Mallory Weber (2012-15) is a member of the Portland Thorns.
"We are thrilled to see how well our former players are performing in the NWSL," head coach Erica Dambach said. "The Penn State women's soccer program prides itself in preparing our student-athletes for life after college regardless of their chosen endeavor. For those that strive to continue to play at the highest level, we believe we have the right environment and have put together a player development plan that will enable them to be successful. However, in the end, it's their hard work, high standard and determination that ultimately determines their ability to succeed and it's exciting to see how many of them will be competing in the league this year!"
Church enters her second year with the Washington Spirit after being selected 30th by the club in 2015 NWSL College Draft. During her rookie season, Church, a defender, started in 15 matches and played in 16 contests.
A National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-America first team selection, the 2014 Big Ten Defender of the Year and a Missouri Athletic Club (M.A.C.) Hermann Trophy Award semifinalist, Church started 89 of Penn State's 100 matches from 2011-14 and concluded her career in Happy Valley as the program's all-time leader in minutes played (8,243).
Eckerstrom anchored the Nittany Lion defense to one of the best defensive performances in program history during the 2015 season. Back in January, Eckerstrom was the first goalkeeper taken in the NWSL College Draft with the No. 26 pick by the Western New York Flash.
During the 2015 season, Eckerstrom started all 27 matches tallying a record of 22-3-2, which included 15 shutouts. Eckerstrom and the Nittany Lion defense ended the 2015 season with eight-straight shutouts. The Nittany Lions did not allow a goal over the final 733:32 of the season and during that span, Eckerstrom played all but 19:23 in net for the Blue and White. Eckerstrom set the fourth-best solo shutout performance in school history with 12 shutouts and she tied Erin McLeod for wins in a season with 22 (2005).
After spending three seasons with the Boston Breakers, Evans was chosen by the Orlando Pride during this past offseason in the 2015 NWSL Expansion Draft. During the 2015 season with the Boston Breakers, Evans set career-highs in appearances (18), starts (13), minutes played (1,150) and scored her first two professional goals.
A team captain of the 2012 Nittany Lions, Evans helped lead the Blue and White to its first National Championship appearance, earning second team All-Big Ten accolades that season. She started 63 of 88 games during her four-year Penn State career.
The sixth-overall NWSL draft pick by Sky Blue FC in 2014, Hayes enters her third season with Sky Blue FC. During the 2015 season, Hayes played in 13 matches, which included 10 starts and she tallied one assist on the year.
At Penn State, she was a M.A.C. Hermann Trophy semifinalist in 2012 and 2013, and the trophy runner-up in 2011 after setting a Big Ten record for single-season points with 70. Hayes captured three NSCAA All-American and first team All-Big Ten selections during her Penn State career, scoring the third-most goals (71) and points (163) in program history.
Krieger enters her fourth season with the Washington Spirit. Last season she started and played in only eight matches due to the 2015 Women's World Cup. She started all seven U.S. matches, including the World Cup final in which the former two-time NSCAA All-American played every minute and recorded a shot in the 48th minute. The U.S. defeated Japan, 5-2, on July 6, 2015.
Krieger was part of the Red, White and Blue back line that recorded five-straight shutouts before the final and held opponents scoreless for 540 consecutive minutes before Japan scored in the 27th minute. Krieger played all but nine minutes in the tournament, subbing out in the 81st minute in the Round of 16 match vs. Columbia. Making her second world cup appearance, Krieger also recorded shots in the 73rd minute vs. China and a shot on-goal in the 34th minute against Sweden.
Professionally, Krieger competed for FFC Frankfurt in Germany for five seasons, played in the WPS for one season and made seven appearances for Tyreso in Sweden before starting her career with the Washington Spirit in 2013. A two-time NSCAA All-American during a four-year Penn State career, Krieger was also the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and a M.A.C. Hermann Trophy semifinalist following her senior campaign.
This upcoming season will be Lohman's 12th professional season as she has competed professionally in Cyprus, Sweden, Spain, the W-League, WPS and the NWSL. During the 2015 season, Lohman played in 17 contests, which included 15 starts. On the year, Lohman recorded one goal on 17 shot attempts.
For the Nittany Lions, Lohman started all 101 matches from 2000 to 2003, sitting in the top-10 for Penn State career assists (37), goals (41) and points (119). She was a three-time NSCAA All-American and a four-time first team All-Big Ten pick, garnering a M.A.C. Hermann Trophy runner-up spot her senior year.
Naeher enters her seventh professional season and her first with the Chicago Red Stars after being traded from the Boston Breakers during the offseason. Last season with the Boston Breakers, Naeher started 12 games and made 65 saves, which ranked second during the regular season. Naeher was also on the U.S. senior national team that captured the 2015 Women's World Cup with a 5-2 win over Japan on July 6, 2015.
Naeher served as a backup goalkeeper for Hope Solo. The former Nittany Lion made her World Cup debut with the senior team after helping the U.S. U-20 women's national team to win the 2008 FIFA Women's World Cup, where she won the Golden Glove as the top goalkeeper in the tournament.
A three-time NSCAA All-American at Penn State, Naeher ranks second in career saves (359), shutouts (30), minutes played (7,953) and she ranks third with 59 wins.
Nairn enters her fourth professional season and her third with the Washington Spirit. During the 2015 season, Nairn played in 20 contests, which included 19 starts. On the year, she recorded five goals, four assists and took 42 shot attempts. While wearing the Blue and White during her senior season, Nairn led the 2012 team to its first-ever National Championship game with a team-best 17 goals and 12 assists.
Rodriguez, who arguably had one of the best careers in Penn State women's soccer history, garnered numerous awards for her work in the classroom and on the field. Rodriguez was selected with the No. 2 overall pick by SkyBlue FC in the 2016 NWSL College Draft.
Rodriguez' honors during her senior year included: MAC Hermann Trophy winner, Honda Sport Award winner, CONCACAF Female Player of the Year nominee, Most Outstanding Player on Offense of the Women's College Cup, Women's College Cup All-Tournament Team, NSCAA Scholar Player of the Year, NSCAA Scholar First Team All-American, NSCAA All-Great Lakes First Team, NSCAA First Team All-American, All-Big Ten First Team, Academic All-Big Ten, TopDrawerSoccer Best XI First Team, TopDrawerSoccer's Player of the Year and 2015 College Sports Information of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District Two first team.
Schoepfer enters her seventh professional season, appearing for Sky Blue FC when the team was a member of the WPS, and has been a member of the Boston Breakers in the WPS and NWSL since 2011.
Last season, Schoepfer played in 19 contests, which included 17 starts. On the year, she tallied two assists and recorded 12 shot attempts.
In Penn State's program record books, Schoepfer ranks in the top-10 for career goals (48), assists (26) and points (122), earning a M.A.C. Hermann Trophy semifinalist nod in 2009, picking up two NSCAA All-American laurels and three first team All-Big Ten selections.
Weber enters her first season with the Portland Thorns after being selected at No. 14 by the Western New York Flash in the 2016 NWSL College Draft. Prior to the regular season starting, Weber was traded from Western New York to Portland.
Weber capped off her Nittany Lion career by tallying an assist on Rodriguez' game-winning goal in the 2015 College Cup Final. Weber recorded eight goals and 11 assists in the 2015 season. Weber's 11 assists this past season led the Nittany Lions and the Big Ten. Her 2015 awards include: College Cup All-Tournament team, NSCAA All-Great Lakes Second team, All-Big Ten First Team and Academic All-Big Ten.
During her Nittany Lion career, Weber played in 100 matches, which included 97 starts. She finished her time in Blue and White with 36 goals, 29 assists and 101 points.
In the all-time Penn State record books, Weber ranks 10th in points (101), 10th in goals (36), ninth in game-winning goals (14), tied for sixth in assists (29), 13th in shots attempts (186), sixth in shots on goal (97), tied for fifth in games played (100), sixth in games started (97) and 11th in minutes played (6,708). Also, her 11 assists in the 2015 season are tied for 10th all-time in the Penn State single-season rankings.