UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State women's soccer program was represented heavily by alumni during the National Women's Soccer League's regular season opening weekend April 29-May 1.
Ten of 13 PSU alums who are members of the NWSL saw action over the weekend with their respective clubs. They accounted for a combined total of 688 minutes with six alums playing the full 90 minutes.
Read more about their contributions below:
Portland Thorns FC – Raquel "Rocky" Rodriguez and Sam Coffey
Rocky Rodriguez (2012-15) and rookie Sam Coffey (2019-21) both started in the Thorns' home opener vs. the KC Current in front of a crowd of 13,672 fans.
Rodriguez played a crucial part in the first goal of the match. Winning a ground battle inside the arc, she delivered a through ball to Christine Sinclair whose shot was deflected off the keeper's glove. The ball bounced to the left of an outstretched Adrianna Franch and into the line of Morgan Weaver who fired it into the net.
Newcomer Coffey played a full 90 minutes and delivered two crosses and took two shots. She finished the match with an 84 percent pass accuracy.
The Thorns would defeat KC Current 3-0.
Kansas City Current – Elizabeth Ball and Mallory Weber
Elizabeth Ball (2014-17) started and played the full match for the KC Current. The defender accounted for five clearances, three blocked shots and three interceptions.
Mallory Weber (2012-15) played 19 minutes before leaving the match with an apparent knee injury.
The third former Nittany Lion on the KC Current, Maddie Nolf (2014-15, 2017-18), was not available in the lineup.
The KC Current will play North Carolina Courage on Wednesday in the Challenge Cup Semifinal.
Chicago Red Stars – Alyssa Naeher
Alyssa Naeher (2006-09) started in goal and played all 90 minutes in the Red Stars' 2-1 win over Racing Louisville Saturday night. The match experienced an hour and a half weather delay, but it didn't damper the good play of Naeher.
The former Nittany Lion earned Star of the Match honors after making five saves including a clutch denial from point blank range. Naeher's goalkeeping made the difference in the win as Louisville out-shot the Red Stars 14-8, with six shots on target.
NJ/NY Gotham FC – Ali Krieger and Ellie Jean
Ali Krieger (2003-06) also received Star of the Match recognition for her great defensive work against the Orlando Pride. Krieger played the full match, making 12 clearances and one block as Gotham shoutout the Pride 3-0.
Ellie Jean (2015, 17-19) saw 12 minutes from off the bench and made two tackles on the backline.
Orlando Pride – Erin McLeod and Kerry Abello
Erin McLeod (2004-05) was the starting keeper for the Pride and played the full match. She made one save on a tough night where Gotham out-shot Orlando 15-7.
The rookie, Kerry Abello (2017-21), earned the start and played 72 minutes. She delivered six crosses in the game and made three tackles.
San Diego Wave FC – Kaleigh Riehl
In the Wave's first regular season match as a program, Kaleigh Riehl (2015, 2017-19) started and played the full 90 minutes. She accounted for six clearances, two blocks and two interceptions in the 1-0 win vs. the Houston Dash.
