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SPORTS
[ Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2004 ]

Lion forward sparks offense

Collegian Staff Writer

We have something you don't have.

Just picture the women's soccer team saying that in the most sophomoric way to every other team in the Big Ten. Because you know they're thinking it.

The No. 3 Penn State (11-1-1, 7-0 Big Ten) women's soccer team has possibly the No. 1 player in the country, and she goes by the name of Tiffany Weimer.

This season she has owned the Big Ten. Weimer has scored in every conference game and 10 of her Big Ten-leading 15 goals have come against conference opponents.

Sure Penn State has only given up one goal in seven conference games, and that the Nittany Lions have outscored Big Ten teams 15-1 thus far. Hands down, the difference in those games has been the junior forward.

It was clearly evident this past weekend. Penn State beat No. 23 Illinois and Northwestern by a combined score of 3-0. Check that, Weimer beat Illinois and Northwestern 3-0.

She scored all three goals and would have had another if not for a great guess by Illinois goalie Leisha Alcia on a penalty kick.

But that's nothing new.

Against No. 13 Michigan last weekend she scored the lone goal of the game in double-overtime. Against Indiana she also scored the only goal and at Wisconsin she scored three of four of the Lions goals.

When things on the offensive side get slow, and they have been slow plenty of times this season, Miss Consistency is a nice feature for coach Paula Wilkins to have.

"I love her to death," Wilkins said. "You can't complain about having a great goal scorer. She does a great job creating opportunities all the time for herself and other people."

PHOTO: Alyson McCrum
PHOTO: Alyson McCrum
Penn State's Tiffany Weimer (8) fights off a defender as she dribbles downfield in Sunday's game against Northwestern.

As leading goal-scorer, she is also second on the team with five assists. Harassing opponents is just something Weimer has done since she was a freshman. Last season she led the team with 21 goals and 51 points. As a freshman she was third on the team with 12 goals.

She can out-quick defenders or put a move on that jukes the grandparents in the stands out of their Depends. Pick your poison, or just be glad that she's on your side.

"She's a player that I like having on my side," junior defender Natalie Jacobs said. "Being on defense, I think we'd have an interesting time playing against each other."

No other player on Penn State has more than four goals, so it's been mainly Weimer putting balls in the net. She's on her way to leading her team to a conference sweep. The Lions have to beat Iowa, Minnesota and No. 19 Ohio State to go 10-0 for the first time since 2000.

"That's been a good goal for us this year," Weimer said,

"But yeah, I guess I do get up for Big Ten games because I know they're out for us this year."

If things go as expected, Weimer's bulbous Big Ten numbers might grow even more, as Minnesota and Iowa are last in the conference in goals against. Penn State can clinch its seventh-straight Big Ten title with two wins next weekend. Whether Weimer scores or not, the previous seven conference games say she's going to have a big impact on the final.

 

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Updated: Monday, October 11, 2004  11:48:22 PM  -4
Requested: Friday, September 05, 2008  10:35:18 PM  -4
Created: Wednesday, May 07, 2008  6:49:58 PM  -4