For just the second time since they were freshmen, Portland senior forward Christine Sinclair will be on the same field as Penn State's senior forward Tiffany Weimer.
This time around, the two are the frontrunners in a two-horse race for the M.A.C. Hermann trophy, another trophy that Sinclair possesses and one that Weimer has not yet been able to claim for her own.
The Hermann Trophy will not be at stake according to Penn State senior goalkeeper Erin McLeod, the woman in charge of stopping Sinclair.
"[Maybe] if somebody has the game of their life tomorrow," she said. "Both for Sinclair and Tiffany, their stats speak volumes for the season. I don't think it will make much of a difference."
McLeod, a Hermann Trophy semifinalist in her own right, was not around for the run in 2002 when Sinclair beat Penn State, as she spent her first two years at Southern Methodist.
Although each team features a top-notch scorer, Portland has the true second threat in Megan Rapinoe, who has 24 goals on the season. Penn State features the duo of freshman Zoe Bouchelle and Carmelina Moscato. Both have seven goals on the year.
Whether Weimer and company can break through the Portland defense remains to be seen. Portland has amassed 75 goals in one less game than Penn State while allowing only nine, which equates into 0.39 goals allowed per game while only allowing a stingy 5.2 shots a game. Wilkins feels that her team will be able to successfully break through their quartet of defenders with an athletic attack unlike the Western Athletic Conference team has seen.
"We have some attacking personalities that some teams don't have and they haven't come across," she said. "We're going to possess the ball, especially through Allie Long."
On the East Coast, Penn State has scored 78 goals over the course of the season and allowed 0.81 per game.
Should Penn State win a game that they probably wouldn't win on paper, there is a chance for a Sept. 9 match-up, as PSU could face No. 1-seed UCLA, which Penn State defeated 1-0 in overtime. UCLA would have to survive a game with No.2-seed Florida State.
A sweep of the weekend would secure an undefeated season, the lone falter coming in a tie to Michigan back in the Big Ten Tournament, a game that was ultimately decided in penalty kicks.
Wilkins maintains that the pursuit of the ring, trophy, banner and whatever unknown accolades that come with a national title are not for her. They are for the alumni that had failed in the other two trips to the College Cup, and the ones who had never gotten that far.
"I just think that in 12 years, for them to be able to do that and create that, the biggest thing will be for the alumni who also have the biggest impact," she said. "And the players. I never step on the field. Mike [Coll], Tim [Rosenfeld], and I, we don't play. It's what these players do. They create the tradition."
