Summer is ending in State College, but it's hard to tell standing on the practice fields in the late afternoon. Practice for the Penn State women's soccer team runs late on a humid Wednesday as the sun shines overhead.

As practice ends, assistant coaches Melissa Ramsey and Tim Rosenfeld walk over to a small shed on the edge of the field, getting out of the heat as they put equipment away for the week.

Leigh Hamilton is one of the few players still able to stand up on the field as Ramsey beckons her over.

A wide grin spreads across Ramsey's face as the senior defender strolls over to the short fence that surrounds the field, one of the few patches of green grass in the area.

When Hamilton arrives, Ramsey begins firing off her player's vital stats in short, staccato bursts -- the smile never fading from her face.

"Leigh Hamilton. Number 14. Starter since her freshman year."

Hamilton laughs and shakes her head at her coach's praises, but it does nothing to stop them. She can't get a word in edgewise.

"Unsung hero," Ramsey says.

"Scored the game-winning goal against Connecticut to put us in the College Cup," Rosenfeld interjects.

"On the day before her 21st birthday," Ramsey adds.

With a smile, Hamilton waves to Ramsey, waiting for her to leave the area before responding to the adulation. Despite being lauded by her coaches, Hamilton remains entirely humble when talking about her role on the squad, taking herself out of the spotlight.

"I don't think my role has changed that much as a senior, other than being more of a leader," Hamilton said. "There's five [seniors] in the starting lineup this year and we all have to step it up."

Hamilton's name doesn't often appear on the score sheet, but her value to her team goes well beyond what shows up on paper. In her first three seasons, Hamilton tallied a goal and three assists, though the lone goal was an important one -- coming in last year's NCAA tournament quarterfinal game against Connecticut.

Last season Penn State upset then-No.2 UCLA on the road in double overtime. Though Christie Welsh scored the lone goal in the contest, it was perhaps Hamilton's play that saved the game -- clearing a ball off of the goal line in the closing moments of regulation.

Penn State women's soccer coach Paula Wilkins calls Hamilton her most experienced defender on the team and a leader in the defensive third of the field. She described the intangibles that Hamilton brings to the defense.

"She's the one I look to for information in the backfield," Wilkins said. "She's a competitive leader for our entire defense."

An Academic All-Big Ten member last year, Hamilton earned several accolades during her junior season, despite missing two games due to injury. She was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week and to the Soccer Buzz Elite Feet team of the week after her performance in a shutout of Purdue.

Most impressively, Hamilton was named outstanding defensive player of the year for her team in 2002, anchoring a defense that recorded nine shutouts.

At the end of the day, even when the attention goes to the goal scorers, Hamilton isn't at all disappointed.

"I don't mind," Hamilton said. With the smile on her face, there's no doubt she means it.