It took a little time for Katie Schoepfer to make an impact with the Penn State women's soccer team.

Through the season's first six games, the freshman forward only registered three points for the Nittany Lions -- quite a turnaround for someone who scored 157 goals and added 47 assists in high school.

Yet, as the team leader in total shots and shots on goal, it was only a matter of time until Schoepfer made opponents take notice of her.

Then, like a time bomb waiting to go off, she exploded in last Friday's matchup with Harvard.

With her team nursing a 1-0 advantage, Schoepfer tallied the second goal of her young career and added to the lead. But she wasn't done there.

After the Crimson netted two second-half goals and forced overtime, Schoepfer capitalized on a well-placed centering pass through the box that gave her team a 3-2 victory.

"It was really exciting for me," Schoepfer said. "I am really glad that I could score for this team and get a good win, especially with a tough game coming up."

Schoepfer, who also added an assist, was responsible for all three goals in the Lions' final tuneup before opening the Big Ten season.

One person who was not surprised with Schoepfer's five-point outburst was head coach Paula Wilkins, who recruited the Soccer Buzz Top 50 recruit and Connecticut state record holder for goals scored.

"The experience she gained in the first eight games is going to be very valuable for the Big Ten and I think she still has a little bit of a learning curve still to go," Wilkins said. "We need to get her better service [in front of the net] and give her better support in the front half, and if we do that, I think she'll score a lot more goals."

Before Schoepfer stepped on the field, Wilkins had placed her in some elite company, classifying her as a "big, strong forward" and made comparisons to former Penn State soccer stars Christie Welsh and Tiffany Weime, which quite an honor to bestow upon a freshman. Welsh was the 2001 Herrmann Trophy winner and Weimer is the Big Ten's leading scorer.

"It means a lot to me," Schoepfer said of the comparisons. "But I try not to put too much pressure on myself. I am just trying to have a good, solid freshman season. [Welsh and Weimer] are two amazing players and I am flattered to be mentioned in the same sentence as those two."

Another person who wasn't shocked by Schoepfer's performance was senior midfielder and team captain Ali Krieger, who assisted on both of her goals.

As a teammate of Weimer's for three seasons, Krieger recognizes the parallels drawn between Schoepfer and other Penn State greats and thinks that she could be the next one.

"[Katie] is a strong forward with a great shot, like Christie Welsh. But her finishing is so strong too," Krieger said. She finishes well and that is what Tiffany was so good at," Krieger said. "She has great potential and could definitely be one the best players in Penn State history."