PARIS – Penn State women’s soccer alumnae Sam Coffey and Alyssa Naeher joined the United States Women’s National Team in a Gold Medal performance at the 33rd Summer Olympiad, with the USWNT utilizing both Coffey and Naeher in starting roles in a 1-0 result against Brazil in the Gold Medal Match from Parc des Princes on Saturday.
Both Coffey and Naeher were pivotal to the United States’ Gold Medal run, with Naeher serving as the USWNT’s last line of defense in all six matches over the 16-day tournament. Coffey was dominant in the holding midfield position for the Red, White & Blue, earning five caps in head coach Emma Hayes’ starting XI, with her only missed match due to a pair of accumulated yellow cards in group play. In the Gold Medal match, Coffey started in the midfield and played all 90 minutes for the USWNT, facilitating multiple scoring chances while holding an Olympic finalist scoreless for just the second time in history. Naeher, meanwhile, almost single-handedly kept the United States’ Olympic dreams alive in the final, standing watch over goal for all 90 minutes and recording a pair of saves, including one in stoppage time that prevented a Brazilian equalizer.
Coffey, a native of Sleepy Hollow, New York, secured the first Olympic Medal of her career Saturday with Team USA, adding one of the sport’s ultimate honors to her decorated career as a collegian at Penn State. Coffey was a First Team All-Big Ten selection on two occasions after transferring to Happy Valley from Boston College, with the pivotal midfielder adding United Soccer Coaches First Team All-America distinction during her time in University Park. Coffey stood at the pinnacle of student-athlete success in the classroom as well, garnering Senior CLASS Award First Team All-America laurels as well as College Sports Communicators Academic All-America distinction. During her time with the Nittany Lions from 2019 to 2021, Coffey appeared in 62 matches and tallied 25 goals while leading PSU to three straight NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 bids.
In the spring of 2021, Coffey entered the NWSL Draft pool and picked up the 12th overall selection, beginning her career with Portland Thorns FC. Since joining the Thorns, Coffey has been a nominee for NWSL Rookie of the Year as well as an NWSL Best XI First Team honoree, serving as a regular starter for the organization which took home the 2022 NWSL Championship. Coffey appeared on multiple Women’s Youth National Team rosters for the United States over the course of her club and collegiate careers, earning her first call-up to the Senior National Team for friendlies against Colombia in 2022. Her first cap and start came against Nigeria on September 6, 2022, and she appeared in her first major international tournament at the 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup before joining the Olympic roster this summer.
Naeher, a native of Seymour, Connecticut, remains one of the most decorated student-athletes in Nittany Lion program history as well as one of the most dominant goalkeepers the Big Ten Conference has ever seen. Naeher was a three time All-American, including a pair of United Soccer Coaches First Team All-America honors in both 2007 and 2008. Naeher was a two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in 2007 and 2009, adding Big Ten Tournament Defensive MVP honors in 2008 during her stint in University Park. Naeher appeared in 88 matches over the course of her career in Happy Valley, boasting the second-most saves in program history with 359, second-most minutes played in school history with 7,961, and the third-most wins in program history with 59.
The stalwart Nittany Lion shot stopper began her professional career after earning the 11th overall selection in the 2010 Women’s Professional Soccer draft, the precursor to the modern National Women’s Soccer League. Naeher was the first goalkeeper selected in the draft by Boston Breakers, spending one season with the organization before taking a two-year stint at Bundesliga side Turbine Potsdam, ultimately returning to the Breakers for a stretch from 2013 to 2015. Naeher was traded to the Chicago Red Stars of the NWSL in 2015 and has appeared in 132 matches for the club since starting her career in the Windy City. In early 2024, Naeher made NWSL history by becoming the first goalkeeper with 50 wins for a single club when Chicago defeated Seattle Reign FC in a 2-1 affair on March 23. For the USWNT, Naeher has been a consistent presence since the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, appearing on the Senior National Team for every major tournament since, including the 2020 Olympics and 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The United States Women’s National Team returned to the podium for the seventh time in the federation’s history, making the USA the most decorated national team in Olympic Women’s Soccer. The USWNT secured gold medals in 1996, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2024 with one silver and bronze medal apiece in 2000 and 2020, respectively. Penn State has been closely connected with USWNT medal finishes over time, with Nittany Lion head coach Erica Dambach serving as an assistant coach for the squad in the 2008 Beijing Olympics as well as the 2020 Toyko Olympics, which saw Dambach join the podium alongside her former student-athlete in Naeher.
Coffey and Naeher become the 10th and 11th Penn State-affiliated athletes to secure Olympic Medals at the 2024 Paris Games, becoming the first Nittany Lion Gold Medalists at the 33rd Olympiad. The pair of Nittany Lion women’s soccer alumnae also become the second and third medalists for PSU in the sport, joining Laura Freigang’s Bronze finish with the German Women’s National Team following their 1-0 victory over world No. 1 Spain on Friday, August 9. Penn State’s trio of Olympic Medals stands as a program record for a single Olympic Games, with a Nittany Lion landing gold for the first time since Erin McLeod and Team Canada picked up the sport’s highest honor at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
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