Penn State's Kori Chapic (14) fights for the ball with North Summer Green (6) during the national championship game Sunday afternoon at Torero Stadium in San Diego.Matthew Bellingeri/Collegian
Penn State fans cheer on the women's soccer game during the national championship game Sunday afternoon at Torero Stadium in San Diego.Matthew Bellingeri/Collegian
Penn State's Emily Hurd (3) breaks away with the ball during the national championship game Sunday afternoon at Torero Stadium in San Diego.Matthew Bellingeri/Collegian
SAN DIEGO-The top scoring offense in the nation was nearly shutout as the Penn State women’s soccer team fell 4-1 to North Carolina in the College Cup National Championship.
The Tar Heel’s KealiaOhai got the match off to a quick start, scoring from just inside the 18-yard line just 1:11 seconds into the match to put UNC up 1-0.
After the opening goal the Penn State defense cracked down and opportunities opened up for the Lions' scoring attack. After two missed shots from senior Christine Nairn and junior Maya Haye, Nairn was able to find junior Taylor Schram on the left side after catching UNC goalkeeper Adelaide Gay off of her line.
Schram lobbed a goal to the back right of the net in the 18th minute to tie the game 1-1.
UNC remained on the attack with a total of nine shots in the half compared to Penn State’s two. Erin McNulty continued the superb play she has displayed all tournament long with two crucial back-to-back saves in the 33rd and 34th minute.
The Lions and Tar Heels traded sides several times to close the half however either side was unable to score, ending the half with a tie.
The Tar Heels came out firing once again in the first half, scoring off of a set piece just 48 seconds in the half to take the lead 2-1. UNC’s Katie Bowen was able to arc a corner kick to Hanna Garder for a header to the back of the net.
The Lions, who have been characterized all season long by their ability to score quickly, were unable to generate any offense with the UNC completely controlling the ball early in the half, firing three shots in first ten minutes
The set piece troubles continued for the Lions as the half went on as UNC’sSatara Murray was able to score after a corner on a high beaming kick from the middle to put Tar Heels up 3-1. The Lions had several opportunities to clear but the Tar Heels were able to recover the ball multiple times.
The Tar Heels were able to ice the game with a goal from RaneePremjii off of assist from Crystal Dunn in the 74th minute to put UNC goes up 4-1.
UNC was able to utilize its bench playing 22 players and tiring the Penn State offense. The Lions were not able to get many scoring chance and were out shot 24-12 in the game.
The win marked the 22nd national championship for the Tar Heels in their history.
Penn State's Kori Chapic (14) fights for the ball with North Summer Green (6) during the national championship game Sunday afternoon at Torero Stadium in San Diego.Matthew Bellingeri/Collegian
Penn State fans cheer on the women's soccer game during the national championship game Sunday afternoon at Torero Stadium in San Diego.Matthew Bellingeri/Collegian
Penn State's Emily Hurd (3) breaks away with the ball during the national championship game Sunday afternoon at Torero Stadium in San Diego.Matthew Bellingeri/Collegian
SAN DIEGO -- After being punched in the match early, Penn State responded against North Carolina to finish the first half 1-1 in the championship match of the College Cup.
The Tar Heels' Kealia Ohai got the match off to a quick start, scoring from just inside the 18-yard line just 1:11 into the match to put UNC up 1-0.
After the opening goal the Penn State defense cracked down and opportunities opened up for the Lions' scoring attack. After two missed shots from senior Christine Nairn and junior Maya Hayes, Nairn found junior Taylor Schram on the left side after catching UNC goalkeeper Adelaide Gay off of her line.
Schram lobbed the ball to the back right of the net for a goal in the 18th minute to tie the game at 1-1.
UNC remained on the attack with a total of nine shots in the half compared to Penn State’s two. Erin McNulty continued the superb play she has displayed all tournament long with two crucial back-to-back saves in the 33rd and 34th minute.
The Lions and Tar Heels traded sides several times to close the half however either side was unable to score, ending the half with a tie.
Members of the Park Avenue Army cheer on the Penn State women's soccer game Sunday afternoon at Torero Stadium in San Diego. Today the women's soccer team plays the University of North Carolina for their first ever chance for the NCAA College Cup championship.Matthew Bellingeri/Collegian
SAN DIEGO — It would be hard for one to confuse cold and snowy State College, Pa. with the warm and sunny San Diego, Ca.
But on Friday night Christine Nairn said she felt as if she were back in Central Pa. playing on Jeffrey Field.
In the top-seeded Penn State women’s soccer team semifinal victory over Florida State on Saturday night, the “We Are Penn State” chant had a resounding echo in Torero Stadium at University of San Diego.
The cheer was started by the Lions very own women’s soccer fan club the Park Avenue Army which is the student section that supports the team.
The motto of the team this season has been “play for those who came before you” and the Lions met with the San Diego alumni association on Wednesday night and have received multiple messages from former Penn State players.
“We’re fortunate and thankful for the support and the players that have come before us. Hearing their support not only now, but since day one, it means the world to us,” senior captain Maddy Evans said. “We want to represent them and play for them and play for each other. We’ve been fortunate to be in a program to have such wonderful support and alumni.”
Those in attendance last night ranged from many Penn State fans, players parents, to other Penn State athletes who came to San Diego to support the team.
The team has credited the Park Avenue Army all season for being a 12th man in the stands for the squad.
“They have such a great solid team, amazing coaches, amazing players," said Park Avenue Army Colonial Mike Mulligan. "It is the least I can do and have fun at the same time, try to go morale up, try to garner some spirit, just get the whole team pumped and I think we do a great job of that."
The Penn State women’s soccer team, with the top-ranked offensive attack added to an already impressive statistical season as it defeated Boston College, 5-2, in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
The Nittany Lions were able to take advantage of the absence of the Golden Eagles’ second leading scorer Stephanie McCaffrey, who was suspended due to controversial tweets regarding the Jerry Sandusky case the previous day.
Junior Maya Hayes got things started for the Lions early, hitting her 14th goal of the season in a school record 48 seconds into game off of an assist from junior Taylor Schram. Hayes broke the record previously set by redshirt junior Tani Costa this season.
The Lions offense was firing on all cylinders in the first half. Hayes followed her goal with another off of an assist from senior Christine Nairn to put the Lions up 2-0. Penn State was able to maintain their lead despite pressure from Golden Eagles, they attempted 18 shots in the half compared to 10 by the Lions. Boston College has the 15th ranked offense in the country.
“Statistically it makes all the difference in the world, every stat screams that you need to score first,” coach Erica Walsh said. “It got the crowd into the game, it got our team into the game mentally. I feel like we can do that anytime we set our mind to it and the warm up is right, we can do that against any opponent.
The Lions were able to continue their quick scoring as redshirt sophomore Emily Hurd found freshman Mallory Weber for Weber’s 12th goal of the season less than a minute into the half.
With the Lions up 3-0, controlling all the momentum, Boston College responded. Junior Bri Hovington was called for a foul in the box to set up senior Kristen Mewis with a penalty kick, cutting the Lions margin to 3-1.
Just minutes later, Mewis found the back of the net for the second time making it 3-2 a swinging some momentum Boston College’s way.
Nairn, who has been called to step up in a number of critical moments for the Lions all season did so once again, scoring her 15th goal of the season in the 74th minute to put the Lions up 4-2.
"I would be lying if I said I didn’t think back to my freshman year against UVA, we were up 2-0 at halftime and we lost 6-2,” Nairn said. “That was in the back of me and Maddy’s mind. We just had a second on the field and we just said not again. That’s our mentality we know where we’ve been and we know where we want to go.”
In the 78th minute, Weber was credited for a goal put the game out of reach, catching Boston College goalie Alexa Gaul, out of position as the ball bounced off of the defender near her and dribbled into the goal. The Lions were able to fend the Golden Eagles off as they cruised the rest of the way to victory.
“It’s just exciting knowing I can work hard and keep producing and help this team move forward each game,” Weber said.
Penn State will go on to face Michigan in the Sweet 16 on Sunday for a rematch at Jeffrey Field. The Lions previously tied Michigan 1-1 in the regular season to clinch the Big Ten Conference. Walsh spoke on the excitement of being able to see Michigan for a second time.
“I’ll speak for the team, I was just crossing my fingers and hoping that we’d see Michigan again,” Walsh said. “We missed out on an opportunity at home, that bitter taste in our mouth for the Big Ten Championship. I’ve been waiting for this moment since that day.”
After a season full of accolades and its 15th straight conference title, the Penn State women’s soccer team took home five of six possible individual Big Ten honors.
Junior Maya Hayes and coach Erica Walsh won conference awards for the second time in their careers.
Hayes was named Forward of the Year after scoring 12 goals with five assists in 12 regular season games for the Lions. She led the Big Ten in goals per game (1.00). Hayes won her award despite missing a handful games while competing with the U-20 United States National Team which won the World Cup in September.
Walsh received Coach of the Year, and also won the award after the 2009 season. In her sixth season as head coach Walsh led the Lions to an undefeated conference record (17-3-1, 9-0-1 Big Ten).
Senior Christine Nairn, who led the team in goals (13) and assists (8), was named Midfielder of the Year for the first time in her career. Nairn stepped into a new scoring role this season after a previous season-high of seven goals.
Sophomore Whit Church was named Defensive Player of the Year. She anchored a defense that allowed only 18 goals in 19 regular season games.
In a season with major contributions from freshmen in the starting lineup, Raquel Rodriguez was named Freshman of the Year. The midfielder scored three goals with nine assists and was the focal point of the Lions’ set pieces this season.
However, some of Rodriguez’s stiffest competition was from fellow teammate Mallory Weber, who put up 10 goals and two assists this season. Weber took home Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors three times.
The Lions were knocked out in the second round of the Big Ten tournament after losing 1-0 to Illinois, but their regular season performance earned them a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament. They will take on LIU-Brooklyn in the first round at 4 p.m. on Saturday at Jeffrey Field.
We caught up with players and coach Walsh after practice before they head to Purdue tomorrow. Walsh talks about growing up on 11 acres and her knowledge of obscure sports.
Erica Walsh took a break from her busy schedule as the head coach of the No. 4 Penn State women's soccer team to talk with us about her love for Philly sports and her respect for the other Penn State coaches.
On a stormy night No. 11 Penn State women’s soccer was able to brave the elements for a victory.
The Nittany Lions (7-2-0) defeated the Northwestern Wildcats (4-3-2) 4-1 for their second Big Ten win in as many games.
Senior Christine Nairn and junior Maya Hayes led the offense with two goals apiece.
“I thought that they solved a lot more issues in the second half then they did in they first,” coach Erica Walsh said. “I thought they were quite good they came right out after halftime, overall we it was a solid performance. We were too slow and deliberate in the first half but I enjoyed watching us solve it in the second half.”
Even with a slow start the Lions were able to set the tone in the first half. Redshirt junior Tani Costa assisted to Nairn for her team-leading eighth goal of the season in the 31st minute. From 10 yards out she delivered the goal into the top left corner of the goal.
As it has done throughout the season, the Lion’s offense carried the team with eight shots on goal on 17 shots compared to Northwestern’s six shots on goal on 11 shots.
The Lions piled it on in the second half, with Nairn scoring her second goal in the opening minute of the half, from Hayes.
Hayes followed suit with her second goal of the season from Costa’s second assist of the match in the 57th minute. Hayes has two goals in as many games after returning from Japan while playing for the U-20 World Cup team.
Northwestern began to challenge in the 58th minute of the half with a goal headed in by junior Kate Allen off of an assist by freshman Jennifer Korn.
The Lions bounced back quickly with another goal in the 65th minute of the match when Hayes penetrated past her defender off of an assist by senior Maddy Evans.
The Lions fourth goal killed the momentum for the Wildcats and the match ended in a Penn State victory.
“They came out of halftime with their foot on the gas and really determined,” Walsh said. “It made all the difference in the world they imposed themselves on Northwestern in the second half where in the first half we let the game come to us.”
The Lion’s win over Northwestern was their second Big Ten victory in as many matches. They opened their conference schedule with a 2-1 victory last week against Wisconsin. They play their second match of the weekend Sunday at Illinois at 2 p.m.
“Obviously Vanessa DiBernardo is a big focus for us and she is capable of winning big games for them,” Walsh said. “They’re always well coached and well organized so I think we’ve got ourselves a good soccer game on Sunday. We’re going to face a strong opponent both athletically and from a soccer perspective.”
The United States’ U-20 women's national soccer team defeated Nigeria 2-0 Tuesday morning to advance to the finals of the U-20 World Cup in Japan.
Two players on Penn State’s current roster, juniors Maya Hayes and Taylor Schram, are playing for the U.S. national team. Hayes leads the team in the tournament with four goals, including a three-goal effort against Ghana during group play.
In the semifinal match, goals by Virginia’s Morgan Brian and UNC’s Kealia Ohai propelled the U.S. team in their shutout of Nigeria.
The U.S. squad will go on to face defending World Cup champion Germany in the final on Saturday. The Americans will look to get revenge after being swept by the Germans in pool play, 3-0.
Hayes and Schram will most likely return to the Lions for the beginning of their Big Ten schedule against Wisconsin at home September 16th.
Penn State women's soccer forward Maya Hayes and wrestler David Taylor have been named Penn State Athletes of the Year, according to a press release.
The honors put both of the athletes on the ballot for the Big Ten Athletes of the Year -- specifically, the Jesse Owens Men's Athlete of the Year and the Suzy Favor Women's Athlete of the Year -- with 22 other nominees coming from the conference's other eleven schools.
Hayes had an excellent 2011 campaign. She was a finalist for the Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy -- the Heisman Trophy of soccer. She led the country in both goals and points, respectively accumulating 31 and 70. She was integral in leading Penn State to a 21-5-0 record and the top seed in the Big Ten Tournament.
Taylor, meanwhile, went a sparkling 32-0 this past season as the wrestlers won the NCAA National Championship. He also won the 2012 Hodge Trophy, qualifying him as the wrestler of the year.
The winners of the Big Ten's Athletes of the Year will be announced Monday, June 18 on the Big Ten Network at 7:30 p.m.
