Going back and looking at the records, Penn State Women's Soccer has been a dominant program over the past 25 years, consistently going deep into the NCAA Tournament and winning seven conference tournaments. The club has also been Big Ten Regular Season Champs 19 times. This is a team that always has high expectations on its shoulders year in and year out. Those same expectations almost came crashing down midway through the season, but a seven match winning streak propelled the Nittany Lions to one of their hottest stretches of the decade.
The team was 6-6-1. They had just come off back to back losses to Wisconsin and Rutgers and now were facing a season defining road trip against Ohio State, Indiana, and Purdue. It was that same road trip that would save the season for Penn State and help avoid its first losing season in the Big Ten. Sam Coffey, a junior from Sleepy Hollow, New York transferred from Boston College to Penn State this past year and has had a stellar year for PSU netting 6 goals, 7 assists, and 19 points in 20 matches. She spoke recently about the belief of the team during that tough stretch and why it's only made them stronger.
"We had a bumpy patch in the middle of the season," Coffey said. "Ultimately we knew that was going to pay off for this moment and we're continuing to play better and better each game."
That confidence in knowing that the belief would pay off starts from senior leaders like Ellie Jean, Laura Suero, Amanda Dennis, and Kaleigh Riehl who have all racked up serious minutes and experience. That leadership trickles down to juniors like Coffey and Kerry Abello. It even inspired two freshmen to have fantastic seasons as Ally Schlegel and Payton Linnehan have sparked the Penn State attack during their winning streak. Schlegel, The Big Ten Freshman of the Year, led the team in scoring with 11 goals and she also added 4 assists and 26 points. Schlegel's sheer toughness and ability to finish is the reason why she's been the team's go-to option in the attacking third. Her success has garnered the attention from every defense Penn State plays, as Schlegel is usually double-teamed whenever she touches the ball. As a result, that leaves time and space for another electric player in Payton Linnehan. Linnehan's speed and agility has netted her 5 goals, 1 assist, and 11 points. She is a pure scorer who most recently had a huge goal in the Big Ten Quarterfinal against Iowa this past Sunday that gave the Nittany Lions the advantage as they went on to win 2-0.
This is a club that is hitting their stride at the right time. Penn State will take on Purdue on Friday in the Big Ten Semifinal. A win there would put them back into the Big Ten Championship yet again, and another victory would give them an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
In the middle of the season if you would have said this team would be in this position playing this well, not many people would've believed you. This did not deter Penn State as their own self belief and experience ingrained by the upperclassmen and talented freshmen has made them one of the most confident teams in the NCAA. Now only one thing's for sure; no one wants to play this team right now.
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