Oct. 16, 2017
ORLANDO, Fla. - Penn State women's soccer alumnae Britt Eckerstrom '15 and Mallory Weber '15 were crowned champions of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), as the Portland Thorns FC defeated the North Carolina Courage, 1-0, on Saturday, Oct. 14, to win the 2017 NWSL Championship.
"To win championships you have to first build a championship culture," Penn State women's soccer head coach Erica Dambach said. "Britt and Mal are two of the biggest winners I've ever had the privilege to coach and completely embody the `team first' mentality!"
Both Eckerstrom and Weber recently completed their second season in the NWSL, as they were both drafted by the then-Western New York Flash in the 2016 NWSL College Draft. Weber was taken No. 14 overall and Eckerstrom was the first goalkeeper selected in the draft at No. 26.
During her rookie season in 2016, Eckerstrom started three matches and recorded a pair of shutouts for the 2016 NWSL champion Flash before being traded to the Portland Thorns FC during last offseason. Eckerstrom now has won three-straight championships between the NWSL and NCAA.
Prior to the start of the 2016 season, Weber was traded from the Flash to the Thorns. The 2016 season saw Weber play in 13 contests, which included seven starts. This past season, Weber played in 17 matches, which included five starts, and she netted her first career goal to capture a 2-1 comeback victory over the Washington Spirit on July 22.
Co-captains for Penn State in 2015 along with Raquel Rodriguez, the trio led the Penn State women's soccer program to its first NCAA Championship with a 1-0 victory over the Duke Blue Devils on Dec. 6, 2015.