The Penn State women's soccer team celebrated a little longer than usual after scoring its first goal against Michigan last Friday.

As the mob of white uniforms hugged outside defender Jessie Davis outside the 18-yard box after capitalizing on a corner kick, the entire team knew the moment was special. Not only did the goal put the Nittany Lions in the lead, it was also the first goal of Davis' Penn State career.

Davis also added an assist on the second goal of the game helping the Lions to a 2-0 victory in the semifinal round of the Big Ten Tournament.

"It was one of the most incredible feelings that I ever had," Davis said. "One of the girls said I started crying. Overall, it was an amazing feeling."

In order to win the tournament last weekend, Penn State knew it had to rely on contributions from younger players. Oddly enough, two of Davis' teammates and head coach Paula Wilkins told her they "had a feeling" she would score this weekend. Davis said she usually moves up to offense for corner kicks, but had never been close to scoring before. She said the comments her teammates made were actually "fairly random."

Even though her teammates and coach may have foreseen her first goal, the sophomore Davis was never completely confident in her role on the team. Last year she appeared in only nine games. During the offseason, she realized that she had a chance to crack the starting lineup when she was named a starter on the 13-member spring squad. After the spring season, her hope was further reinforced when Wilkins told her that she was pleased with her escalating confidence and ability.

Davis started 21 of 22 games this year, but she didn't begin the season playing defense, her natural concentration. Instead, she has played almost every position on the field, starting the regular season at outside midfield. She had difficulty adjusting to a starting role, and a new position.

"It's overwhelming," Davis said, "when you're thrown in other positions, and you're not doing things you know you could be doing. Coach expects a lot from you, and you move somewhere else. And finally when I moved to defense I was relieved and that's when everything came together."

After sitting on the bench last year, she had the opportunity to learn from defenders Lindsay Bach and Natalie Jacobs. This year, as the youngest player on the back line, she has gained invaluable experience and guidance from the older players.

"I've seen her improve a whole lot since she's been a freshman," junior defender Denay Riley said. "She came to the back line, and, actually, she dealt with her role really well because she kind of just got thrown in, and she has stepped up."

The experience she has gained, coupled with her goal over the weekend, has given her confidence as she continues to hold the starting spot.

"With each game comes a lot of experience," Davis said, "and with experience comes more confidence, too."