UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – An undefeated start to the season has been keyed by a lot of contributions all around from the Nittany Lions. That includes senior Maria Auth, who has helped lead a Penn State offense that has put up 39 goals in its last two games.
Through four games thus far, Auth has already tallied 15 goals with nine assists to go along. Her 24 points are good for nearly 38% of the Nittany Lions scoring. While Penn State continues to get comfortable in its offense early in the season, Auth's strong contributions have made that adjustment period much easier.
The Street, Maryland, native eclipsed the 100-goal mark late last season and has quickly been building on that total in 2020. Auth was also a 2019 All-Big Ten selection and she is well on pace to be earning more hardware when this season comes to a close.
Penn State head coach Missy Doherty has been impressed with the consistency Auth has brought to the Nittany Lions the last four seasons.
"She's been a consistent contributor and a starter for four years," Doherty said. "Seeing her leadership and her ability to come up with plays in clutch situations makes someone to look up to who is not afraid to assert herself."
Auth is someone who is constantly looked up to by her teammates. She prides herself on helping to get the team's offense moving and trying to set up her teammates for success. Whether it be Auth scoring, or one of her teammates, she is just happy to be always finding a way to help out.
She prides herself in playing hard the whole game and always finding ways to get in extra work. Auth recalls spending plenty of days at Holuba Hall working extra to improve her game.
"I don't want to take any moments off," Auth said. "It's my last season and I pride myself on not taking any of it for granted. Off the field, I pride myself on the extra reps I get and the hard work I do."
When Doherty looks back on what drew her to Auth, she recalls a good combination of game sense and scoring ability made Auth an intriguing recruit when she was in high school. As a junior in high school, Auth was named U.S. Lacrosse First Team All American.
That success Auth enjoyed in high school quickly transferred to Penn State and it has been on full display the last four years. Auth is a pure scorer and Doherty attributes that to a variety of reasons, but there is one that really stands out.
"I think she has a really good vision of the cage as a shooter," Doherty said.
For Auth, there were plenty of things that drew her to Penn State. She loves how that while Penn State may be a big campus, with over 46,000 students enrolled at University Park, it still presents that small school feel.
Auth also cites the large athletics program as another thing that attracted her to Penn State. But most of all, it is the bond she believed she could grow with her teammates was the deciding factor in her commitment to play for the Nittany Lions.
"Something that drew me to Penn State was the family atmosphere," Auth said. "You walk into the locker room and everybody loves each other so much and I think that affects us on the field as well."
Moving forward, Auth still has her eyes set on some lofty goals as this season continues to move along. For her and her teammates to reach those goals, Auth knows she needs to leave it all on the field every day.
"I have my eyes on a Big Ten Championship," Auth said. "We want to play the best Penn State Lacrosse every day, whether it is at practice or at a game. Personally, I want to leave here with no regrets. I want to go hard every chance I get and never take any moment for granted when I'm on the field."
When Auth reflects on her time at Penn State, it hits her that her time as a Nittany Lion is almost done. She has already left an incredible legacy at Penn State, but says she still has a lot to build on with much of the season remaining.
After her time is finished at Penn State, Auth wants to be looked at as a great teammate and a hard worker. Doherty points out that one of Auth's best attributes is pumping up her teammates. For Auth, she will always work to be the best leader possible on and off the field.
"I want to work as hard as I can on and off the field and always be there for my teammates whenever they need me," Auth said. "I love playing lacrosse and I want my teammates to look at that and see how much pride and passion I bring to my game."
