Jan. 6, 2017
Over the course of the next few weeks GoPSUsports.com will be sharing updates from Penn State women's soccer alums. This week GoPSUsports.com caught up with Nittany Lion alum Brianna Garcia.
Name: Brianna Garcia
Hometown: Babylon, New York (Long Island)
Years with PSWS: 2008-12. I tore my ACL and redshirted my sophomore year. I decided to take my fifth year at PSU because there is no better place to be than Happy Valley!
Major: Speech Pathology
GoPSUSports.com: How did Penn State prepare you?
BG: Deciding to commit to PSWS and become a Nittany Lion was the best decision I have ever made. Everyone always asks "Why'd you choose Penn State? What makes it so great?" My response usually is, "You have to go and be there to understand what is so special about it."
From campus life to athletics to academics, Penn State prepared me to be successful. I truly believe that being a member of any Penn State team gives someone an edge over anyone else. Through my years, I learned so many lessons. From dealing with obstacles, learning to stay focused on academics and athletics and managing time and relationships are all skills that I work with currently each and every day.
The most important lesson I learned from PSWS is "Team Before Self." When we made it to a National Championship game in 2012, we were the most selfless team I had ever been a member of. From doing what we needed to on the field as well as off, we prepared ourselves for success. Everyone knew and understood what it meant to be a Nittany Lion and we wanted to play for those who came before us and pave the way for those to come.
GoPSUsports.com: Favorite memory as a Nittany Lion?
BG: Probably one of the hardest questions I'll ever have to answer! From making it to the College Cup to all of the memories from team trips and events, there are too many to count! If there is one memory though that may stand out from the rest, it is probably when we played Michigan on Jeffrey Field my junior year (2010). They were our final game of conference play and we needed to win in order to win the Big Ten regular season title. The program had won 12 straight titles before that, and we did not want to be the team that lost it.
I remember that it was a cold Sunday afternoon and the game was intense. Both teams were battling hard and it was a powerful battle between two top programs in the conference. Both halves went scoreless and then we went into overtime. The first overtime was a heart attack since it is golden goal. Once that period ended, we all came together as a team preparing for the start of the second overtime period. I don't remember who said it, but I just remember someone shouting to everyone, "We are Penn State. We are the Nittany Lions. We are the Champs." I knew in that moment we had the game.
As time ticked down, we were still tied. With about 20 seconds left in the game, we had the ball and a defender sent the ball down to the top of their box. Next thing I know, one of our players does some side kick and chips it over their backline, and my college roommate Ali Schaefer (Yea shout out to you Vegas!!) beat her defender and scored the game winning goal with 17 seconds left on the clock. Everyone, including alumni and fans, stormed the field and we kept the streak alive. I still get goosebumps thinking about the feeling of watching the goal go in and knowing our team fought until the end.
GoPSUsports.com: What are you currently up to?
BG: Currently, I am the assistant coach at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, a DI program in the Sunbelt conference. Once I graduated, I made the decision to pursue my coaching career instead of a playing career. It was a hard decision to make, but after having gone through three knee rehabs and two surgeries, I felt that it was the best decision for my health and future. After graduating in December of 2012, I moved out to Nebraska and was a volunteer coach at the University of Nebraska for a year and a half. From there I took the title of full time assistant coach here in Little Rock and just finished my third season. I am also in the process of completing my Masters in Sports Management through the university.