SYDNEY – Penn State women's soccer will see five alumnae represented in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup field, with action slated to begin in Australia and New Zealand on Thursday. Alyssa Naeher of the United States, Rocky Rodriguez of Costa Rica, Marisa Sheva of Ireland, Olivia Smith of Canada and Laura Freigang of Germany round out the Nittany Lion quintet in this year's tournament.
"Having five women representing five different nations in the 2023 Women's World Cup is truly exciting, and a testament to the type of athletes that we are cultivating here at Penn State," Dambach added. "Alyssa, Rocky, Laura, Marisa and Olivia have each contributed so much to the growth of this program over the years, and we can't wait to see all that they will accomplish in Australia and New Zealand. I wish all five of them the best of luck as they compete on the game's biggest stage."
A native of Seymour, Connecticut, Naeher prepares for her third appearance in the FIFA Women's World Cup, representing Team USA in the 2015 and 2019 tournaments in Canada and France, respectively. Naeher is a two-time World Cup champion and an Olympic bronze medalist following her performance in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. A 14-year veteran of professional women's soccer in America, Naeher currently represents the Chicago Red Stars in NWSL competition. While at Penn State, she carved a reputation for herself as one of the premier goalkeepers in college soccer, hauling in multiple All-America honors in addition to recognition as a finalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy.
One of the most dominant student-athletes in women's college soccer history, Rodriguez is a native of San Jose, Costa Rica, and will participate in her second FIFA Women's World Cup. In her only prior World Cup appearance in 2015, Rodriguez scored Costa Rica's first-ever goal at the event during the team's group stage match against Spain. While at PSU, Rodriguez led the Nittany Lions to their first NCAA Championship in 2015, secured the second MAC Hermann Trophy in PSU history and ultimately earned the No. 2 overall selection in the 2016 NWSL Draft. She spent her first four seasons as a member of Sky Blue FC and has played for the last four years with the reigning NWSL Champion Portland Thorns FC.
Born in Sellersville, Pennsylvania, Sheva prepares for her first FIFA Women's World Cup appearance and fifth cap overall for Ireland. Maintaining dual citizenship between the United States and Ireland through her grandparents, Sheva was called up to the senior women's national team in February 2023. Her first two career starts each came against Team USA in friendly competition earlier this year. While at Penn State, Sheva was a freshman on the 2015 National Championship team and ultimately blossomed into a star in her own right, logging 13 goals in her four years with the Nittany Lions. She started her career in the NWSL with Utah Royals FC, before ultimately finding a long-term home in the league with the Washington Spirit.
A native of Kiel, Germany, Freigang gets set for her first FIFA Women's World Cup as a member of the German Women's National Team. Called up to the senior squad in 2020, Freigang made her international debut against Norway on March 7 of that year. Since then, she has tallied 12 goals in 20 international caps highlighted by a hat trick against Bulgaria during World Cup qualification. A two-year veteran of college soccer with the Blue & White, Freigang burst onto the scene in 2016 as a member of the Big Ten All-Freshman Team. Following her second year in Happy Valley, she elected to forgo her remaining eligibility to begin her professional career with Eintracht Frankfurt.
Born in Whitby, Ontario, Canada, Smith prepares for her first FIFA Women's World Cup as a member of the Canadian senior Women's National Team. Smith has already made history for Canada, becoming the youngest individual in the federation's history to earn an international cap in 2019 when she was just 15 years old. At age 18, Smith is the the youngest woman on the Canadian senior squad and the youngest Nittany Lion heading to the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Over the course of her lone season in Happy Valley, Smith appeared in 16 matches and totaled 334 minutes with a goal and assist.
The ninth edition of the FIFA Women's World Cup kicks off on Thursday, July 20, with a Group A match featuring host-New Zealand against Norway at 3 a.m. (ET). Sheva and Team Ireland open play against host-Australia later in the day at 6 a.m. (ET), followed by Smith's World Cup debut with Canada against Nigeria at 10:30 p.m. (ET) Thursday night.
Naeher's top-ranked and defending champion United States side begins play on Friday, July 21 with a 9 p.m. (ET) start against Vietnam, while Rodriguez and Costa Rica get started with a fixture against Spain at 3:30 a.m. (ET). Freigang will be the final Nittany Lion to open World Cup competition, as second-ranked Germany begins the tournament with a 4:30 a.m. (ET) match against Morocco on Monday, July 24. The World Cup knockouts begin on Saturday, August 5, and conclude with the World Cup Final on Sunday, August 20.
In University Park, Penn State continues preparation for the upcoming 2023 campaign. The Nittany Lions officially report to campus on August 1 and will begin work in anticipation of the program's 30th season-opening match against the defending national runner-up North Carolina Tar Heels on Jeffrey Field. The Penn State women's soccer season kicks off in Happy Valley on Thursday, August 17.
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The 30th Season of Penn State women's soccer is presented by the Smeal College of Business.
