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Penn State Nittany Lions women's soccer

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Penn State Nittany Lions
women's soccer
2021 Penn State Nittany Lions women's soccer team
Penn State Women's Soccer logo.svg
Founded1979; 42 years ago (1979)
Varsity sport since 1994; 27 years ago (1994)[1]
UniversityPennsylvania State University
Head coachErica Dambach (15th season)
ConferenceBig Ten
LocationState College, PA
StadiumJeffrey Field
(Capacity: 5,000)
NicknameNittany Lions
ColorsBlue and white[2]
   
Home
Away
NCAA Tournament championships
2015
NCAA Tournament runner-up
2012
NCAA Tournament College Cup
1999, 2002, 2005, 2012, 2015
NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals
1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018
NCAA Tournament Round of 16
1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2011, 2007, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
NCAA Tournament appearances
1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
Conference Tournament championships
1998, 2000, 2001, 2006, 2008, 2015, 2017, 2019
Conference Regular Season championships
1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2020

The Penn State Nittany Lions women's soccer team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team at Pennsylvania State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The Nittany Lions play at Jeffrey Field in State College, Pennsylvania on the campus of Pennsylvania State University.

The formation of a women's soccer program at Pennsylvania State University began with the creation of Penn State Women's Club Soccer in 1977 by the International Soccer Club at Pennsylvania State University. The team's creation was a response to women being excluded from playing on intramural soccer teams at the university. The club would go on to compete in international tours and gain national recognition all while competing without the support of the university. The club began petitioning Penn State Athletics for varsity status in 1980 citing a need for funding and status to continue its operation. After being denied varsity status by the university in 1980 and 1981 Penn State Women's Club Soccer filed a Title IX gender discrimination complaint with the Office of Civil Rights. The team would eventually join the Big Ten Conference and National Collegiate Athletic Association in 1994 when Penn State adopted a varsity women's soccer program under Big Ten direction.

The Nittany Lions have won 29 trophies: 1 NCAA Tournament championship, 8 Big Ten Tournament championships, 20 Big Ten regular season championships. The team has fielded two Hermann Trophy winners: Christie Welsh (2001) and Raquel Rodríguez (2015). The Nittany Lions notable alumnae include United States women's national soccer team players Ali Krieger and Allie Long who are both FIFA Women's World Cup champions.

History[]

Founding[]

The formation of a women's soccer program at Pennsylvania State University began with the creation of Penn State Women's Club Soccer. The women's club was put together as a response to women being excluded from playing on intramural soccer teams by the International Soccer Club, a student run university organization, in 1977. The initial team rostered 30 total women, and played its first matches in a local Centre County town league where they were the only all-female team participating. The club struggled during their inaugural season unable to record a win in league play, but achieving their first victory in the postseason playoffs.[3][4]

After the club's inaugural season the team planned to schedule a slate of female club opponents but struggled to find willing clubs. It was reported a total of 24 women's club teams were in operation in the East Coast region at the time.[5] Penn State Women's Club Soccer were able to slate a full season of games against other all-women's teams. The scheduled matches featured high school programs and other college club teams.[3]

In the club's first three matches of the season, they recorded a 10-0 win over Franklin & Marshall College as well as 1-0 and 2-0 victories over The Grier School.[6] In the club's first home match of the season the club faced Super F club of New York City, playing the match as a part of a double header with Penn State men's soccer.[7] The club would go on to win the match 4-2, scoring twice in the final six minutes to seal the team's first win at Jeffrey Field.[8] That season Penn State Women's Club Soccer was also able set up the United States' first women's indoor soccer tournament, in which they competed along with six teams from the East Coast region.[9][10][11]

Tim Conley, then Penn State men's soccer assistant coach, was asked to accompany the team to a tournament in Alabama at the end of the 1978 season. After the trip Conley was asked to step into the role of Head Coach at the start of the 1979 season. Conley accepted, leaving his paid position with the university for a volunteer role with the women's club. Changes were immediately made to the program, as the new head coach made practices daily Monday through Friday modeled after the varsity squad schedule. With Conley's university connections he was able to secure university provided vans to transport the team to away matches. In his first season as head coach the team went undefeated outscoring their opponents 37-1 in eight games.[12]

Following the impressive 1979 season the club was invited to compete in the Eastern Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women Championship Tournament. The Championship Tournament was a regional invitational tournament featuring eight teams, two from New York and one from each of the remaining East Coast states. Penn State, seeded 7th that year, was the only non-varsity sponsored team in the competition.[13] The Penn State Athletics Department sanctioned the trip, officially recognizing the team as an independent university athletics club, provided the team with two vans as well as paying lodging expenses.[12][1][14] The club lost all three of its matches, falling to Courtland State, Vermont and Connecticut, finishing 8th in the tournament.[15]

With an elevated recognition Penn State Women's Club Soccer and Tim Conley set a schedule of games mostly consisting of varsity opponents for their 1980 season.[16] The team finished the regular season with eight wins and one loss to Indiana University.[17]

Following the conclusion of the 1980 season the club set up a two-week international tour of England set up by the Women's Football Association.[18] The club scheduled matches against Northwood Ladies FC, Cambridge Pye Ladies FC, and the Notts County Women's Club. On the way the club's first match against Northwood the team met three men on the subway who after chatting with the team decided to come watch the match. When the team arrived the referee and linesmen scheduled to work the match were nowhere to be found. The three men who the team had met on the subway stepped into the role as match officials. The club went on the win the match 6-0 next traveling to Cambridge downing Pye Ladies FC 3-1. The club then traveled to Nottingham to face Notts County Women's Club defeating them 5-0 closing out their tour with a 3-0 record. After the Nottingham match the team was invited out to a disco by the Notts County Women's Club where they met and partied with John McGovern.[19]

Title IX lawsuit[]

Penn State Women's Club Soccer began to petition Penn State Athletics for varsity status in 1980 citing a need for funding, status and access to post season play to continue its operation. At that time the club was fully funded by a player fee and a small grant from a university intramural fund.[20] Coaches and staff of the club were unpaid volunteers and travel expenses fell on each player individually.[17]

After being denied varsity status by the university in 1980 and 1981, Penn State Women's Club Soccer filed a Title IX gender discrimination complaint with the Office of Civil Rights in Philadelphia against Pennsylvania State University on March 16 of 1981. The club argued Penn State was in violation of Title IX laws when the university refused sponsorship to a program that had a desire and need for a women's team while simultaneously operating an identical men's program. Head Coach Tim Conley argued the team could not continue on its operation without university sponsorship, citing inadequate medical protection, facilities and coaching salaries. Pennsylvania State University and athletic director Joe Paterno denied the club's claim and stated the decision was based on budget issues and the club being a women's sports team had not been a deciding factor.[21][22]

The Office of Civil Rights officially initiated an investigation into the Penn State athletic department in April 1981 after it received the club team's complaint letter.[23] The Office was to send an investigator to determine if Penn State's athletic department as a whole, not just for soccer, was in compliance with Title IX requirements. An initial visit from the investigator was scheduled for June 1981 but was delayed due a travel budget shortage at the office.[24] Citing political and legal challenges to Title IX, in August 1981 the Ronald Reagan administration announced it would review Federal Title IX guidelines and put all ongoing Title IX investigation on hold until clarifications to the law were made.[25][26][27]

During this time, the Penn State athletic department refused to sign the club team's waiver for postseason play, as they had done the two previous seasons. The waiver certified the team as a university sanctioned club team and allowed the club to compete in the Eastern Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women Championship Tournament. The university stated its decision was made because it did not have enough oversight of team operations. The club claimed they believed the university refused to sign because of the Title IX investigation.[28]

The investigation was officially closed in March 1984 after supreme court case Grove City College v. Bell ruled that compliance with Title IX is necessary only in the particular programs or activities that receive federal funding, which Penn State's athletic department did not.[29][30]

Club play[]

After a headlining 1981 season off the pitch, seeing the Nittany Lions file a Title IX gender discrimination complaint against the university, the club finished with a record of eight wins, five losses and one tie.[31] The club did not compete in any post-season play after Penn State's athletic department refused to sign the club's application to the Eastern Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women Championship Tournament. The form required a signature from an athletic department official, certifying the team as a university sanctioned club and meeting Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) Varsity requirements. Penn State's athletic department had signed for the club the two previous seasons but cited they wanted to know the implications the signature might have in regards to the university's liability for the club, which it had no administrative control or jurisdiction over. In contrast to the public statements the university had supervised certain aspects of the club including academic eligibility as well as making sure the team adhered to AIAW rules.[28] Head coach Tim Conley resigned from his head coaching post at the end of the 1981 season. Conley had cited that he felt he had done his part for the team and that without a salary he could not continue to coach.[31]

After the departure of Tim Conley keeping a consistent face in the head coaching position become an issue for club. As a non-varsity club team coaches were required to be faculty members at the university, this meant professors, graduate students or other university employees already working full or part-time jobs were the only pool the team could draw from. Players shared that many faculty members believed that being an advisor for a club sport was not strategically smart as many saw their time could be used more wisely to advance their academic careers through research grants or writing articles. Additionally, the head coaching position was unpaid and required previous coaching experience and a large time commitment, making it inaccessible to most faculty. While the club struggled to maintain a consistent face in its head coaching position, they also struggled to find varsity opponents and top ranked teams that were willing to play them.[32] After defeating Princeton, a top ranked varsity team, the Tigers refused to face the club again citing a loss to a non-varsity club team could tank a team's season and rank.[33]

The women's club team found cycling through eight head coaches in five seasons through the years of 1982 to 1987. Initially Rich Kilgore, former head coach of Division III Muskingum College's men's soccer program, stepped into the club's vacant head coaching position earning them a 2-2 draw for their first match of the 1982 season.[34] After the first regular season match Kilgore stepped down and assistant coach and Penn State assistant athletic director Rich Lucas was named the interim head coach. That same week the club invited Dan Palumbo to be a guest coach to the team at a training session. Palumbo played college soccer, professional soccer in the Canadian National Soccer League and served as the head coach of the University of Toronto women's soccer program for two seasons. Palumbo was chosen to replace Lucas before the club's second match of the season in which they fell 2-0 to Hartwick.[35] The team finished the season 8-3-4, losing its three matches to nationally ranked varsity opponents.[36] Dan Palumbo resigned at the end of the 1982 season yet again leaving a vacancy in the club's head coaching position. The club selected Sal Frenda, a former high school soccer coach, to lead the team starting in the 1983 season.[36] The club failed to retain Frenda as head coach after the 1983 season and assistant coach Bob Kelly was promoted to head coach for the 1984 season.[37] Yet again, the club could not retain Bob Kelly after the 1985 season, bringing Buddy Hayford, a former high school soccer coach, into the vacant position at the start of the 1986 season.[38] Hayford resigned following the season and was replaced in 1987 by his assistant coach Laurie Pinchbeck, a former women's college soccer player at Bates College and United States women's national soccer team administrator.[39][40] Finishing their 1987 season with ten wins, two losses and one tie, scoring 11 goals in their final two matches, the club was able to claim their first ten win season since the departure of head coach Tim Conley.[41]

Under the direction of head coach Laurie Pinchbeck the club team reignited their pursuit for varsity status filing a varsity sport proposal with the Penn State athletic department in January of 1988. Pinchbeck outlined her belief that the team could become a regional and national powerhouse for the game of women's soccer if the club was allowed to make the jump. The proposal also included a clause specifying that the team would not require equal financial treatment as the men's team right away. Pinchbeck, who at the time was also working for the United States women's soccer team, stated if the team did not receive varsity status by January of 1989 she would leave to program for one of the many paid positions being offered to her. Penn State's Assistant Athletic Director Herb Schmidt acknowledged the growth of the sport and agreed that the financial agreement laid out in the proposal may help solve the short term problem but argued it could potentially impact the future of the program.[42] The athletic department rejected the proposal resulting in the departure of Pinchbeck who was replace by Denny Hall.[43]

Penn State University's varsity athletic programs joined the Big Ten Conference in 1990.[44] This admittance gave the opportunity for the women's club soccer team to become affiliated with conference opening up the opportunity for regular season conference play and an eventual tournament at the club level. The affiliation with the Big Ten admitted club team as member of the National Collegiate Club Soccer Association, giving the conference club with the best regular season record an automatic bid to the national championship tournament.[45] During this time the club was also able to receive a sponsorship from Puma giving them over $5,500 (equivalent to $10,895 in 2020) to continue their operation.[46] The Nittany Lion club received a bid to the NCCSA national championship tournament, representing the East Region in November of 1990 after compiling a regular season record of 14–6–0. The tournament invitation marked the club's first postseason appearance in 9 years.[47][48] The Nittany Lions traveled to the University of Texas facing off against Baylor, Mankato State and the University of Minnesota in a round-robin tournament. The club fell to Baylor in their opening match 2-0, then securing a 3-1 win over Mankato State, moving on to their final match against Minnesota falling 5-0 and finishing the tournament in 3rd place. At the conclusion of the tournament Brett Hannagan and Caroleene Paul were named All-Americans by the NCCSA.[49]

After the club's first two matches of the 1991 season head coach Denny Hall resigned from his head coaching post citing a need for increased time devoted to his academic duties. Replacing Hall was Andy Nelson, a graduate assistant coach with the men's soccer team with experience playing and coaching.[50][51] The Nittany Lion club team began competition in the Big Ten Championship tournament in 1991, facing other club and varsity teams whose representative schools were Big Ten members.[52] During the 1991 championships the Nittany Lions defeated Ohio State and Marquette while falling to Purdue in their divisional rounds resulting in the club failing to advance to the semi-final round.[53][54]

Dirck Aumiller took over the head coaching position after the unexpectedly departure of his former Andy Nelson a few weeks before the start of the 1992 season began. As an employee of club sports at Penn State Aumiller was very familiar with the team and its structure.[55] The club posted a 10-3-1 regular season record in their first season under Aumiller. The Nittany Lions faced Michigan, Purdue and Minnesota in the Big Ten Championship tournament, falling to Michigan 2-1, Minnesota 5-0 and tying Purdue 0-0, failing to advance past the group stage.[56] It was announced a majority of Big Ten schools, including Penn State would adopt varsity women's soccer programs within the next two seasons, subsequently ending the Big Ten Championship tournament after the 1992 competition.[1]

Penn State's athletic department announced in August of 1993 that women's soccer would become a university intercollegiate varsity sport at the start of the 1994 season. Athletic Director James Tarman stated the decision was based on the tremendous success of the program on the club level.[57] The club finished their final season as a non-varsity sport in 1993 with a 7-5-1 record.[58]

Varsity play[]

Penn State women’s soccer celebrate after scoring a goal during the match against Northwestern on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019 at Jeffrey Field in State College, Pa.

Women's soccer became Pennsylvania State University's 29th varsity sport in the fall of 1994.[1] Penn State's athletic department adopted women's soccer after the Big Ten Conference issued a gender equity policy mandating all participating universities have a female athlete participation rate at or above 40% of the total athlete population.[59] In accordance with the Big Ten mandate university administration released a sports gender equity plan that laid out the formation of the varsity team. Penn State president Joab Thomas and his university administration authored the plan.[60] Penn State Women's Club Soccer was dissolved and many of the players were added to the varsity roster. This new varsity status allowed the team to be provided with scholarships, grants and paid coaches.[61] A national coaching search began in 1993 and a full slate of Big Ten opponents were scheduled for the 1994 season.[1]

Penn State women's soccer hired Patrick Farmer as the team's first head coach in January 1994. Farmer had previously coached at NCAA Division III Ithaca College, where he won two Division III National Championships in 1990 and 1991 and was named the 1989 Division III coach of the year.[62][63] The initial roster consisted of members of the 1993 club team, six recruited freshmen, and athletes from other Penn State varsity sports.[64] One of the freshman recruited by Farmer was Kim Cohen who turned down an offer from No. 2 ranked George Mason University to help build the new program.[65] The Nittany Lions lost in their inaugural varsity match 4-1 to James Madison University, and additionally fell in their home opener at Jeffrey Field 2-1 to Cornell.[66] The team found their first varsity win in their third match with a 4-1 win over Towson State at Jeffrey Field.[67] The team finished their inaugural season 14–4–1 finishing in second place in the Big Ten Conference.[68] The seconded seeded Nittany Lions were eliminated in their first Big Ten tournament appearance by a seventh seeded Michigan 3-1.[69]

In the team's second season the Nittany Lions received their first at-large bid to the 1995 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament.[70] The Nittany Lions raised their first Big Ten Regular Season Championship and Big Ten Tournament Title winning the pair in 1998.[71][72][73]

Penn State women's soccer slated a series of exhibition games in Europe during the summer of 1997. In the team's first match of the exhibition the Nittany Lions faced the England women's national team at Wembley Stadium, taking place before the FA Community Shield Match in front of 40,000 spectators.[74][75] Penn State became the first American women's soccer team to play in Wembley Stadium and Penn State player Carole Dutchka became the first American woman to score a goal at Wembley Stadium. The Nittany Lions fell to the England women's national team 3–2. During the tour the Nittany Lions also faced off against the Millwall Lionesses in a nationally televised match and defeated the club 4–2. Closing out the tour Penn State participated in an exhibition match in Belgium against the Netherlands women's select team and participated in the S.V. Hemmerden Frauenfussball Tournament in Germany.[76][75]

Head coach Patrick Farmer resigned from his position in 2000 to become the head coach of the New York Power.[77][78] Farmer was replaced by Paula Wilkins who had served as assistant coach under Farmer.[79][80] In Wilkins' first season the Nittany Lions won the Big Ten Regular Season Championship, the Big Ten Tournament Title and made it to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.[75]

Penn State forward Christie Welsh won the Hermann Trophy, college soccer's most prestigious award given to the nation's top player, and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Player of the Year award in 2001. Welsh became the first Penn State women's player to win both awards and was the last player to receive both awards (in 2002 the honors were combined into one award).[75][81]

Head coach Paula Wilkins accepted a head coaching position with the Wisconsin Badgers in 2007 leaving a vacancy at the Penn State head coaching position.[78] Penn State hired Erica Dambach who had previously been the head coach of the Harvard women's soccer team.[82] In Dambach's first season her team won the Big Ten Regular Season Title and advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen finishing the season 18–4–2.[75] Penn State played in their first NCAA National Championship in 2012 falling to North Carolina 4–1 at Torero Stadium.[83]

Penn State won its first NCAA National Championship in 2015 defeating Duke, 1–0 in the final.[84][85][86] On the path to the championship the Nittany Lions played 6 tournament matches, defeating Duke, Rutgers, West Virginia, Ohio State, Boston University and Albany while scoring 20 goals in all competitions. At the conclusion of the 2015 season Penn State forward Raquel Rodríguez was awarded the Hermann Trophy, as well as the Top Drawer Soccer Player of the Year.[75]

Midfielder/forward, Sam Coffey (17) dodges a tackle during the match against Northwestern on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019 at Jeffrey Field.

Uniforms, crest and colors[]

The Penn State women's team wears Nike kits featuring the school's navy and white colors and displays a crest on their uniforms which is unique to them.[75]

The team's crest, released in 2016, features the team's navy and white colors with three navy blue vertical stripes and a centered navy blue "block S" under the Penn State athletics wordmark. In the navy blue bottom outer of the crest the year 1994 is displayed referencing the year the team became a varsity sports program. The design also features a star above the crest representing the Nittany Lion's 2015 NCAA National Championship.[75][87]

The team's home kit consists of a white top featuring a small polka dot pattern made up of the team's crest, white shorts and white socks. The top features a Nike logo and Big Ten logo adjacent on the chest area with the Penn State wordmark and player numbers on the chest, all in navy. Inside of the collar in the phrase "We Are" is printed in navy blue. The back of the top features player numbers in navy.[75]

The team's away kit consists of a navy top, navy shorts and navy socks. The top features a Nike logo and Big Ten logo adjacent on the chest area with player numbers on the lower chest, all in white. The back of the top features the Penn State wordmark above player numbers, both in white. The top's left sleeve features the team's crest.[75]

The team's goalkeeper kit consists of a purple top, purple shorts and purple socks. The top features a Big Ten logo on the right chest area above a Penn State wordmark and player numbers on the lower chest, all in white. The back of the top features player numbers in white.[75]

Uniform evolution[]

  • Primary
1994
1995-1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003-2004
2005-2006
2007-2011
2012-2013
2014-2015
2016-2017
2018-2021
2021-present
  • Secondary
1995
1996
1998
2000-2002
2003-2004
2005-2006
2007-2008
2009-2011
2012-2014
2015
2016-2017
2018-present
  • Special
Kick For a Cure
2014

Stadium[]

Jeffrey Field before the NCAA Tournament first round match against Stony Brook Women's Soccer on Friday, Nov. 15, 2019.

The Nittany Lions play at Jeffrey Field, a 5,000-seat stadium that opened in 1972.[88] The stadium was dedicated to Bill Jeffrey, who was the men's soccer team's head coach from 1926 until 1952.[88] The stadium was originally built as a home for soccer and lacrosse. The stadium opened with an initial seating capacity of 2,500, but was later increased to 3,000 in 1978 and again increased to 5,000 in 2003. The stadium is located at the corner of East Park Avenue and University Drive in University Park, Pennsylvania.[88] The stadium's record attendance was achieved on August 19, 2016 when Penn State women's soccer faced West Virginia admitting 5,791 fans to the match.[75]

Supporters[]

The Park Avenue Army celebrate a goal during the match against No. 3 Stanford on Friday, August 23, 2019 at Jeffrey Field in State College, PA.

Park Avenue Army is a supporters group for Penn State men's soccer and Penn State women's soccer. The group was formed as two separate groups, Park Avenue Army and Sons of Jeffrey in 2011 and 2015 respectively.[89][90][91] The groups were formally combined under one banner and leadership in 2019. Members occupy the northwest stand of Jeffrey Field during home matches.[92]

The Park Avenue Army engages in many of the traditional Penn State chants including the "We Are" chant, Zombie Nation as well other American soccer chants like “I Believe That We Will Win”.[93][94]

Loosely organized supporters' sections had existed at Jeffrey Field before the organizing of any formal group. A group of note was a collection of fans who called themselves the Hertzog’s Hooligans after Penn State player Corey Hertzog. The fans would attend home matches with a banner displaying their group's name and sing traditional English football chants.[95][96] It wasn't until 2011 when a group of students chose to create an official supporters' section with leadership.[90]

The Park Avenue Army was founded as a Supporters' groups for Penn State Nittany Lions women's soccer team in 2011.[90] The group was named after Park Avenue the street at which Jeffrey Field is located.[97] Penn State women's soccer assistant coach Tim Wassell lead the formation by recruiting a group of freshmen leaders and student members. The initial goal of the group was to get freshmen in East Halls engaged in attending matches as their dorms are across the street from Jeffrey Field.[98]

Roster[]

As of October 15, 2021 [99]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Player Nation
0 GK Katie Evans  United States
00 GK Amanda Poorbaugh  United States
1 GK Julia Dohle  United States
2 MF Kerry Abello  United States
3 MF Olivia Damico  United States
5 MF Cori Dyke  United States
6 DF Kate Wiesner  United States
7 MF Jillian Jennings  United States
8 MF Jilly Shimkin  United States
9 FW Rachel Wasserman  United States
10 MF Maddie Myers  United States
12 MF Payton Linnehan  United States
14 MF Kaitlyn Macbean  United States
15 DF Devon Olive  United States
16 FW Ellie Wheeler  United States
17 MF Sam Coffey  United States
No. Pos. Nation Player
18 DF Sofia Mancino  United States
20 FW Angela Aguero  United States
21 MF Maud Asbroek  Netherlands
22 MF Jordan Canniff  United States
23 DF Eva Alonso  Spain
24 FW Elle Kershner  United States
25 DF Mieke Schiemann  Germany
26 GK Katherine Asman  United States
29 DF Kara Ogden  United States
31 MF Julia Raich  United States
32 MF Natalie Wilson  United States
33 DF Anna Carson  United States
34 FW Ally Schlegel  United States
35 MF Riley Gleason  United States
55 GK Morgan Messner  United States

Yearly records[]

Statistics overview
Season Coach Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Patrick Farmer (Big Ten Conference) (1994–2000)
1994 Patrick Farmer 14–4–1 5–2–0 2nd
1995 Patrick Farmer 15–7–1 4–2–1 3rd NCAA First Round
1996 Patrick Farmer 15–5–2 5–1–1 2nd NCAA Sweet Sixteen
1997 Patrick Farmer 15–7–1 6–2–1 3rd NCAA First Round
1998 Patrick Farmer 21–4–1 7–1–1 1st NCAA Elite Eight
1999 Patrick Farmer 21–4–1 9–0–1 1st NCAA College Cup
2000 Patrick Farmer 22–3–1 10–0–0 1st NCAA Elite Eight
Patrick Farmer: 123–34–8 46–8–5
Paula Wilkins (Big Ten Conference) (2001–2006)
2001 Paula Wilkins 21–4–1 8–1–1 1st NCAA Elite Eight
2002 Paula Wilkins 19–4–1 9–1–0 1st NCAA College Cup
2003 Paula Wilkins 19–3–3 9–1–0 1st NCAA Elite Eight
2004 Paula Wilkins 19–3–1 10–0–0 1st NCAA Second Round
2005 Paula Wilkins 23–0–2 10–0–0 1st NCAA College Cup
2006 Paula Wilkins 18–5–3 8–1–1 1st NCAA Elite Eight
Paula Wilkins: 119–19–11 54–4–2
Erica Dambach (Big Ten Conference) (2007–present)
2007 Erica Walsh 18–4–2 9–1–0 1st NCAA Sweet Sixteen
2008 Erica Walsh 16–8–0 8–2–0 1st NCAA First Round
2009 Erica Walsh 13–6–2 8–1–1 1st NCAA Second Round
2010 Erica Walsh 11–9–1 8–2–0 1st NCAA Second Round
2011 Erica Walsh 21–5–0 10–1–0 1st NCAA Sweet Sixteen
2012 Erica Walsh 21–4–2 10–0–1 1st NCAA Runner-Up
2013 Erica Walsh 15–7–1 7–4–0 3rd NCAA Second Round
2014 Erica Walsh 20–4–0 12–1–0 1st NCAA Elite Eight
2015 Erica Walsh 22–3–2 8–2–1 1st NCAA Champions
2016 Erica Dambach 12–5–4 7–1–3 T-1st NCAA Second Round
2017 Erica Dambach 15–5–4 6–2–3 T-4th NCAA Elite Eight
2018 Erica Dambach 18–6–1 9–2–0 1st NCAA Elite Eight
2019 Erica Dambach 17–7–1 8–3–0 4th NCAA Sweet Sixteen
2020 Erica Dambach 12–3–1 9–1–1 1st NCAA Sweet Sixteen
2021 Erica Dambach 12–8–1 5–5–0 6th NCAA Sweet Sixteen
Erica Dambach: 226–76–21 124–28–10
Total: 485–137–41

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

As of May 20, 2021 [100]

Honors[]

Team Awards
Competitions Titles Seasons
NCAA National Championship 1 2015
Big Ten Tournament 8 1998, 2000, 2001, 2006, 2008, 2015, 2017, 2019
Big Ten Regular Season 20 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2020
Individual Awards
Honor Wins Recipient & Season
Hermann Trophy 2 Christie Welsh (2001), Raquel Rodríguez (2015)
United Soccer Coaches Player of the Year 1 Christie Welsh (2001)
Top Drawer Soccer Player of the Year 1 Raquel Rodríguez (2015)
Top Drawer Soccer Rookie of the Year 1 Christine Nairn (2009)
United Soccer Coaches Coach of the Year 4 Patrick Farmer (1999), Paula Wilkins (2005), Erica Dambach (2012, 2015)
Soccer America Coach of the Year 3 Patrick Farmer (1999), Paula Wilkins (2005), Erica Dambach (2012)
First Team All American 26 Kelly Convey (1998), Emily Oleksiuk (1999, 2000, 2001), Christie Welsh (1999, 2000, 2001), Joanna Lohman (2001, 2002, 2003) Tiffany Weimer (2003, 2004, 2005), Natalie Jacobs (2004), Ali Krieger (2005, 2006), Erin McLeod (2005), Alyssa Naeher (2007, 2008), Maya Hayes (2011, 2012), Christine Nairn (2012), Whitney Church (2014), Raquel Rodríguez (2015), Kaleigh Riehl (2018), Ally Schlegel (2020)
Top Drawer Soccer National Collegiate First Team 8 Christine Nairn (2010, 2012), Maya Hayes (2011, 2012, 2013), Raquel Rodríguez (2015), Emily Ogle (2018), Kaleigh Riehl (2019)
Collegiate MVP First Team 12 Christie Welsh (1999, 2000, 2001), Joanna Lohman (2002, 2003), Erin McLeod (2004, 2005), Tiffany Weimer (2004, 2005), Ali Krieger (2006), Maya Hayes (2011), Christine Nairn (2012)
Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year 2 Christie Welsh (2001–02), Tiffany Weimer (2005–06)
Big Ten Player of the Year 4 Christie Welsh (1999, 2000, 2001), Joanna Lohman (2003)
Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year 8 Natalie Jacobs (2004), Lindsay Bach (2005), Ali Krieger (2006), Alyssa Naeher (2007, 2009), Whitney Church (2012, 2014), Kaleigh Riehl (2018)
Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year 5 Tiffany Weimer (2004, 2005), Katie Schoepfer (2009), Maya Hayes (2001, 2012)
Big Ten Midfielder of the Year 3 Christine Nairn (2012), Raquel Rodríguez (2014), Emily Ogle (2018)
Big Ten Freshman of the Year 9 Emily Oleksiuk (1998), Christine Welsh (1999), Joanna Lohman (2000), Tiffany Weimer (2002), Ali Krieger (2003), Christine Nairn (2009), Raquel Rodríguez (2012), Emily Ogle (2014), Ally Schlegel (2019)
Big Ten Coach of the Year 10 Patrick Farmer (1998), Paula Wilkins (2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006), Erica Dambach (2009, 2012, 2014, 2018)

Last updated: May 20, 2021
Source: Penn State Athletics

Records[]

Single season[]

Goals
# Name Season Total
1 United States Tiffany Weimer 2005 32
2 United States Maya Hayes 2011 31
3 United States Christie Welsh 1999 27
4 United States Tiffany Weimer 2004 26
5 United States Christie Welsh 2001 25
Assists
# Name Season Total
1 United States Christie Welsh 2001 18
2 United States Joanna Lohman 2001 14
3 United States Christine Nairn 2011 13
United States Christie Welsh 2002 13
United States Christie Welsh 1999 13
Saves
# Name Season Total
1 United States Emily Oleksiuk 1998 132
2 United States Emily Oleksiuk 2001 115
3 United States Robyn Van Praag 2011 109
4 United States Dara Christante 2002 107
United States Dara Christante 1999 107

Last updated: May 20, 2021
Source: Penn State Athletics

Career[]

Goals
# Name Years Total
1 United States Tiffany Weimer 2002–2005 91
2 United States Christie Welsh 1999–2002 82
3 United States Maya Hayes 2010–2013 71
4 United States Rachel Hoffman 1994–1997 58
5 United States Heidi Drummond 2000–2003 56
6 United States Katie Schoepfer 2006–2009 48
7 United States Carole Dutchka 1995–1998 44
8 United States Joanna Lohman 2000–2003 41
9 United States Danielle Toney 2007–2010 38
10 United States Frannie Crouse 2014–2017 37
Assists
# Name Years Total
1 United States Christie Welsh 1999–2002 52
2 United States Christine Nairn 2009–2012 41
3 United States Joanna Lohman 2000–2003 37
4 United States Tiffany Weimer 2002–2005 32
5 United States Rachel Hoffman 1994–1997 31
6 United States Sam Coffey 2019-2021 30
7 United States Stephanie Smith 2000–2003 29
United States Mallory Weber 2012–2015 29
9 United States Emily Hurd 2010–2014 28
Costa Rica Raquel Rodríguez 2012–2015 28
Saves
# Name Years Total
1 United States Emily Oleksiuk 1998–2001 416
2 United States Alyssa Naeher 2006–2009 359
3 United States Dara Christante 1995–1998 306
4 United States Britt Eckerstrom 2011–2015 255
5 United States Amanda Dennis 2016–2019 202

Last updated: November 22, 2021
Source: Penn State Athletics

Notable alumnae[]

United States Women’s National Team players Ali Krieger (left) and Alyssa Naeher (right) sign a jersey before the NCAA Tournament first round match against Stony Brook Women's Soccer on Friday, Nov. 15, 2019 at Jeffrey Field.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Player Nation
DF Ali Krieger  United States
GK Allie Long  United States
GK Alyssa Naeher  United States
FW Raquel Rodríguez  Costa Rica
GK Erin McLeod  Canada
DF Carmelina Moscato  Canada
FW Laura Freigang  Germany
No. Pos. Nation Player
FW Christie Welsh  United States
MF Christine Nairn  United States
FW Maya Hayes  United States
MF Joanna Lohman  United States
GK Emily Oleksiuk  United States
DF Mallory Weber  United States

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External links[]

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