For alumna Katie Schoepfer, all roads lead back to Happy Valley.
From former player to now head coach of the United States U-15 National Team, Schoepfer is shaping the next generation of women's soccer players. Throughout her career, she has never forgotten the impact her coaches at Penn State had on her.
Schoepfer made the trip back to State College for this year's alumni game, and for the former forward, coming back to State College felt like coming home.
"This is a really special place to me," she said.
Being at Jeffrey Field cheering on the Nittany Lions alongside old teammates is more than just a long-awaited reunion.
"It's always nice coming back here and seeing the girls play and continuing the legacy of winning and traditions, which is fun for us as alumni to look back and see the team being really successful."
Schoepfer was a standout athlete for the women's soccer team. She netted 48 goals during her collegiate career and she earned numerous accolades, including being a three-time All Big Ten honoree, a two-time NSCAA All-American, a first-team NSCAA Scholar All-American and Big Ten Offensive Player Of The Year in 2009.
Schoepfer cites a lot of her success to coaches Erica Dambach and Ann Cook for shaping her not only into a better athlete on the field, but a better person off the field. Her aspiration to do the same in her job today is a direct nod to the coaches who took a chance on her.
"I think they saw something in me that I didn't necessarily see in myself yet," she said. "They really pushed me to grow as a person and as a player. That's my goal. I want to be able to inspire, motivate and help the next generation of soccer players become what they're going to be, not just as soccer players but as people."
After graduation, Schoepfer entered the next stage of her career and got the opportunity to play professionally for the team she grew up loving.
"I grew up in Connecticut, and I watched the Boston Breakers play in the WSA. That was my team I always cheered for," she said. "It was a full circle moment for me when I was able to play for the Breakers, and then I was captain for the Breakers."
Schoepfer then went on to play on an even bigger stage, by representing the United States on the U-23 Women's National Team.
"I think you always learn something when you get the opportunity to represent your country and wear the crests," she said. "Anytime you are in a foreign country and you're playing for your national team, regardless of your age group, it's always going to be special and that helped shape what I do now."
Schoepfer realized halfway through her time playing professionally that coaching was the direction she wanted to take her career.
After taking advantage of the opportunities she was presented with, Schoepfer gained more experience in coaching, taking her knowledge from the field to the sidelines.
"I just said yes to every opportunity that I got," she said. "I was building more experience and building up my resume so that when I was done playing, I was able to jump in and use some of the connections I made or use some of the relationships I built."
Schoepfer was hired as the head coach of the US U-15 National Team in November 2021. With her background as a former player in the national system, Schoepfer's leadership brought an unique perspective and allowed her to empathize with her players coming into camp.
She knows first-hand the challenges that they face and is committed to helping her players overcome their fears in order to become the best version of themselves.
"As a young player, I struggled a little bit with confidence, anxiety, homesickness and things like that," she said. "It's nice to be able to relate to them and understand their struggles but then also be able to help them figure out how to cope with that stuff."
After a whirlwind first few months on the job, her first season as head coach ended with a CONCACAF Championship.
"We had four camps before we had our CONCACAF Championships, and it was a big learning curve for not only them, but for me," she said.
Schoepfer's culture of winning is more than just her knowledge of the game or her empathic perspective from being in similar shoes. She creates a "safe place to fail'' for her players. Her humility and commitment to their well-being creates an environment that encourages and uplifts her team. By eliminating the expectation of perfection, she is able to guide her players through the idea of mobility and growth within their lives.
"We want them to understand that they're going to mess up sometimes and their journey is not going to be perfect. It's going to have lots of ups and downs and it's about giving them these skills to understand how to cope," she said.
Her hopes are that one day, she will be able to see the effects of the culture she helped create through her players when they continue to reach for their dreams.
"Hopefully in the next five to ten years we see a ton of kids that have come through our U-15 and won a CONCACAF, and they're talking about winning a World Cup, and they're remembering when they were fifteen and won that CONCACAF Championship," she said.
Soccer is the vehicle Schoepfer uses to teach about life's most valuable lessons. Doing that through a positive culture and environment creates better people, better teammates, better relationships and better leaders.
"If we're not having fun and doing fun team meetings, and if I'm not making connections with the players off the field, then it doesn't really matter how much soccer you know, because they're not going to listen to you because they don't feel that bond," she said.
Now back where it all began, Schoepfer is an example of life coming full circle. Back on the field that shaped her life, with the coaches that showed her what was inside of her all along.
"My coaches gave me opportunities and believed in me even when it wasn't always something that I was believing in," she said. "Not giving up on somebody is a big part of being a coach and I think that that's probably the most impactful thing for me throughout my career."
Coach Dambach's and Coach Cook's influence continues to extend beyond Schoepfer.
"If you look at what Erica and Ann have produced in their coaching tree, how many alumni have gone into coaching; I think it's a big credit to them on how impactful they are," she said.
For this alumna, the journey has always been more than just about the x's and o's. The power of her coach's confidence in her propelled her to new heights.
Now, she's giving it back to the next generation.
Her advice to those aspiring to lead players? Focus on building up the individual. The athlete part will take care of itself.