ROSEMONT, Ill. – Penn State women's soccer saw a pair of student-athletes garner Big Ten and national weekly accolades on Tuesday, with senior+ defender Kate Wiesner snagging Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors while senior defender Eva Alonso garnered a placement on the TopDrawerSoccer National Team of the Week, both organizations announced.
The Nittany Lions roared out of the gates to open Big Ten Conference action last week, with Wiesner and Alonso leading the way in PSU's eventual 4-0 rout to secure three points on the league table. PSU's balanced attack was once again put on display, with four different Nittany Lions registering goals in the match and two new goal scorers notching their first of the season. Penn State is one of four Big Ten programs to earn a victory in its inaugural match of the league calendar and currently paces all B1G teams in the first NCAA RPI release of the season, ranking second nationally.
Alonso's status as one of the nation's most dominant facilitators was once again on display in last week's match with the Terrapins, as the Madrid, Spain, native booked an assist on each of the first three PSU scores. Alonso notched the 15th instance of a Nittany Lion passing for three assists all-time and became the first to accomplish that feat since Wiesner did so in the second round of last year's NCAA Tournament against West Virginia. The senior owns five total assists, tied for the third-most in the conference and 23rd nationally, while notching 0.62 assists per match, also tied for the third-best mark in the B1G.
Penn State has appeared on the TopDrawerSoccer National Team of the Week on four separate occasions in the 2023 campaign, with Alonso securing PSU's 60th honor from the organization all-time. Alonso also becomes the program's fourth individual to land recognition this year, joining senior defender Ellie Wheeler, redshirt junior forward Kaitlyn MacBean and junior defender Mieke Schiemann. Alonso's accolade this week marks her second TopDrawerSoccer National Team of the Week recognition, joining a prior appearance on May 4 during the COVID-altered spring 2021 season.
Wiesner published one of the most remarkable goals of the 2023 season in Penn State's domineering Big Ten-opening win over Maryland. The Monrovia, California, native's banger marked her first match-winning goal of the season and third of her career, her first match-winning score since booking the tally that defeated the Northwestern Wildcats in last season's B1G Tournament semifinal. On the defensive end, Wiesner's performance at the left back position was crucial in limiting Terrapin scoring leader Ava Morales to one off-target shot attempt. PSU's defensive back line, headlined by Wiesner, recorded its sixth shutout of the 2023 season, tied for the most shutouts in the Big Ten Conference.
Wiesner becomes the third Nittany Lion to secure Big Ten Player of the Week recognition in the 2023 season, joining her fellow team captains in senior+ midfielder Cori Dyke and graduate goalkeeper Katherine Asman. In addition to landing the third Penn State weekly honor from the league office this season, Wiesner hauled in the first national or conference weekly accolade of her accomplished collegiate career. The last Nittany Lion student-athlete to be named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week was Dyke back on Aug. 22.
No. 6 Penn State women's soccer returns to the pitch this Thursday, Sept. 21, as the Nittany Lions continue Big Ten Conference play against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on the road in Piscataway, New Jersey. Kickoff from Yurcak Field is slated for 7 p.m. (ET), with streaming available to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+. PSU returns home to Jeffrey Field on Sunday, Sept. 24, when the Blue & White host the Nebraska Cornhuskers in a pivotal 1 p.m. (ET) fixture. Sunday's match is also slated to serve as Penn State's alumni day, with streaming available via B1G+.
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Visit GoPSUSports.com for more information on Penn State women's soccer. Fans can keep up to date with the Nittany Lion women's soccer team on X and Instagram @PennStateWSOC, in addition to the team's Facebook page at /PSUWomensSoccer.
The 30th Season of Penn State women's soccer is presented by the Smeal College of Business.
