Lady booters make history in England

The Penn State women's soccer team made history Aug. 3 when it became the first American women's squad to play in London's historic Wembley Stadium.

The Lady Lions were defeated 3-2 by the English National Team in front of about 40,000 spectators in the opening game of its European tour.

Junior Carole Dutchka became the first American woman to score a goal at Wembley when she tied the score 1-1 late in the first half.

"It was by far the single greatest experience of my soccer career," Dutchka said of playing at Wembley. "There was so much to take in, the crowd, the fans, . . . it was just awesome."

Sophomore Shari Pickett tied the score at 2-2 midway through the second half, but a late goal by the English squad sealed the win.

Wembley Stadium is undoubtedly one of the world's most famous sporting arenas. The stadium is to English professional soccer what Lambeau Field, Boston Garden and Yankee Stadium are to their respective sports. In England, Wembley is treated almost as a religious landmark. One would have a hard time locating a young boy in England who doesn't dream of one day scoring a goal on its hallowed pitch.

Senior tri-captain Lauren Miller described playing at Wembley as an incredible experience.

"It was breathtaking. The grass is nicer than carpet," she said. "We just tried to go out there and have fun. It was an honor to play there."

The Lady Lions' English debut was a prelude to the Charity Shield Cup, a match featuring Manchester United and Chelsea, two of England's top professional teams. At the beginning of Penn State's game, the stadium was nearly empty. However, by the end of the match, most of the seats were filled with rowdy, soccer-hungry fans.

"It was a pretty responsive crowd," Miller said. "They were kind of curious and interested to see how we played."

Senior Malisa Sallade noticed a difference between American and English soccer fans.

"Here people just cheer when you score a goal. Over there they cheer just to get you going," she said. "To play in front of that gives you so much energy."

Besides playing in its most revered stadium, the Lady Lions learned a great deal about the culture of England, where soccer is king.

"We have so many sports over here, over there its just soccer. They call it football, and that's all there is. " Miller said. "We just enjoyed being there. They do soccer right over there."

The purpose of the European tour was to prepare the Lady Lions, who enter the 1997 season ranked No. 8 according to the NSCAA/Umbro coaches Top 25 poll, for their Aug. 31 opener against James Madison. In addition to its match against the English national team, Penn State notched a 4-2 win over the Millwall Football Club, the top-ranked club team in the English Premier League. The team also participated in an exhibition match against a league champion from Belgium and a tournament in Germany.

"It was absolutely amazing to have an opportunity like that," Salade said. "It was a great experience."