Payton Linnehan Season 2021

2023 • SENIOR+ SEASON 
Awards: Named a College Sports Communicators Academic All-District selection... Earned Academic All-Big Ten honors... Appeared on the TopDrawerSoccer National Team of the Week twice during the NCAA Tournament, earning those accolades on Nov. 14, followed by an Honorable Mention appearance on Nov. 21... Tabbed as a Big Ten Player to Watch in the preseason.

Season: Appeared and started in 19 matches for the Blue & White on the front line, seeing 1,119 minutes of action in the field... Finished tied for the team lead in goals scored with 10, and ranked second on the roster in overall scoring with 24 points on the year bolstered by four assists... Ranked tied for sixth in the Big Ten Conference in total goals, while ranking seventh in the league in total points scored... Ranked seventh in the B1G in goals per match with 0.53 and eighth in the conference in points per match with 1.26... Attempted 44 total shots with 23 on target for a .523 shot-on-goal percentage, the sixth-best mark in the Big Ten... Scored a trio of match-winning goals, the ninth-best tally in the Big Ten... Recorded the 24th hat trick in Penn State history in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the second hat trick of her career... Her performance against CCSU in the opening-round NCAA Tournament match made her just the fourth Nittany Lion to score multiple hat tricks in a career.
 
West Chester (8/20): Earned the start and had two goals in the 8-0 win. at West Virginia (8/24): Attempted two shots, playing 66 minutes in the 2-1 road win. TCU (8/27): Attempted one shot in the 1-0 win, playing 47 minutes. UCF (8/31): Assisted on one goal with three shots on goal, playing a season high 89 minutes in the 1-0 win. Monmouth (9/03): Assisted on two goals in 23 minutes played in the 4-1 win. Maryland (9/15): Attempted three shots on goal in 76 minutes of playing time in the 4-0 win over Big Ten-rival. at Rutgers (9/21): Scored her third goal of the season in the Big Ten road win in 70 minutes of playing time. Nebraska (9/24): Saw 84 minutes of playing time in the 1-0 win. at Michigan (9/28): Played 90 minutes with two shots and put one in the back of the net. at Michigan State (10/1): Played 74 minutes and scored one goal, leading Penn State to the 3-1 win. Indiana (10/29): Attempted one shot in 21 minutes on the field. Central Connecticut State (11/10): Recorded the 24th hat trick in Penn State women’s soccer history and the second of her illustrious career, making her individually responsible for 3-of-7 goals in the 7-0 rout. Santa Clara (11/17): Tallied one goal in the 4-3 win, playing for a total of 84 minutes. Saint Louis (11/19): Netted one of the most iconic goals in Penn State women’s soccer history in the 98th minute of action, dribbling past multiple defenders and burying the match-winning goal that sent Penn State to its first Elite Eight in five years.
 
2022 • SENIOR SEASON 
Awards: Academic All-Big Ten.

Season: Started 14 of 19 games played...Scored six goals including three game-winners...Notched eight assists.

Duquesne (8/21): Netted one goal in a 3-0 win. No. 21 West Virginia (8/25): Recorded one assist in a 2-0 win. Monmouth (8/28): Had one assist in a 3-1 win. Illinois (9/25): Tallied one assist in a 5-0 win. Wisconsin (10/13): Scored one goal in a 3-0 win. Michigan (10/16): Recorded one assist in a 3-0 win. No. 12 Northwestern (11/3): Netted one goal and tallied one assist in a 2-0 win in Big Ten Tournament Semifinal. No. 6 Michigan State (11/6): Tallied one assist in a 3-2 win of Big Ten Tournament Championship. Quinnipiac (11/13): Recorded one goal and one assist in a 4-1 win in NCAA Tournament First Round. West Virginia (11/18): Netted one goal in a 4-0 win of NCAA Tournament Second Round. No. 11 Virginia (11/20): Scored one goal and tallied one assist in NCAA Tournament Third Round.
 
2021 • JUNIOR SEASON 
Awards: Named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week (8/24)...Academic All-Big Ten.
 
Season: Played in 11 games with eight starts.
 
Massachusetts (8/19): Netted one goal and tallied two assists in a 3-1 win. La Salle (8/22): Netted three goals in a 4-0 win. Hofstra (8/29): Netted one goal in a 2-1 win. At Virginia (9/9): Netted one goal and tallied one assist in a 1-0 win. Monmouth (11/12): Netted one goal in a 3-1 NCAA First Round win.
 
2021 SPRING • SOPHOMORE SEASON 
Awards: Named Second Team All-Big Ten...Honored as Big Ten Distinguished Scholar...Named to Academic All-Big Ten team.
 
Season: Played in all 16 games with 15 starts...Scored five goals and added eight assists...Member of Big Ten regular season championship team.
 
at Rutgers (2/19): Scored first goal of season in 3-2 defeat. at Illinois (2/28): Assisted on Sam Coffey's game-winning goal. Michigan (3/21): Scored two goals in 4-1 win. at Nebraska (3/28): Assisted on two goals in 3-0 win. Maryland (4/3): Scored one goal and added an assist in regular season finale. Alabama St. (4/28): Scored one goal and added two assists in 5-0 win in first round of NCAA Tournament.
 
2019 • FRESHMAN SEASON 
Awards: Named to Big Ten All-Freshman team...Named Big Ten Freshman of the Week (10/22)...Named Big Ten Tournament Offensive Most Valuable Player...Earned Big Ten All-Tournament Team honors.
 
Season: Appeared in all 25 games, making 21 starts...Scored four game-winning goals, including overtime goal in Big Ten title game.
 
at Long Beach State (8/30): Recorded first career point with an assist in 3-1 win. Michigan State (9/22): Scored first career goal and first career game-winning goal in 5-1 win. at Purdue (10/13): Scored first goal of game in 2-1 win. Northwestern (10/20): Scored a career-high two goals and recorded a career- high four points in 3-1 win, including game-winning goal. Iowa (11/3): Scored game-winning goal in first round of the Big Ten Tournament in 2-0 win. Michigan (11/10): Netted game-winning goal in overtime in the Big Ten title game (92nd minute).
 
U.S. NATIONAL TEAM EXPERIENCE
Rostered with U.S. Women’s National Team at the U-15, U-17 level and U-23 levels...Helped the U-15 USWNT win the 2016 CONCACAF U-15 Championship...Scored eight goals during the tournament and claimed the Golden Boot award...Rostered with U-17 USWNT that won the 2017 Torneo Femminile Delle Nazioni Tournament in Italy...Rostered with U-17 USWNT for the 2017 CFA International U-16 Women’s Football Tournament in China...Took part in the Copa Provincial de Buenos Aires with the U-17 USWNT...Rostered with U-17 USWNT for the 2018 U.S. Soccer U-17 Women’s Invitational...Rostered with U-17 USWNT qualifying for the 2018 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Nicaragua and competed at the 2018 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Uruguay...Called up to U-23 roster in Spring 2022.
 
HIGH SCHOOL & CLUB
Ranked No. 15 overall, as the No. 5 forward, in 2019 class by TopDrawerSoccer...Played club soccer for FC Stars of Massachusetts. Finished as 2016 & 2017 ECNL National Finalist with FC Stars of MA. U-14-17 Northeast Conference champions...Named 2017 United Soccer Coaches Youth Girls All-Region and All-American...Attended Blackstone Valley Tech High School...Named two-time team MVP...Named Rookie of the Year...Named two-time Colonial Athletic League All-Star... Earned All-State honoree...Named Milford Daily News All-Star... Named Telegram & Gazette Super Team.
 
PERSONAL
Daughter of Sean and Sheri Linnehan...Has an older brother, Austin, and an older sister, Brooke...Majoring in Psychology.
 
WHY PENN STATE
“I chose Penn State because it feels like my second home. The coaching staff, the team chemistry and the whole environment ultimately makes Penn State the best place for me to be a college student-athlete. I love everything about the school and I’m looking forward to being challenged every day on and off the field.”