PSU Women's Soccer 2019 thread
- Thread starter Judge Smails
- Start date
Doesn’t hurt recruiting that we had 2 players on the world championship team. We don’t win NCAA championships every year but within the confines of the BiG10, we have a dynasty.
Wow! Has it really been 16 straight B10 titles?
Impressive, ladies!
Impressive, ladies!
Coach Dambach has had a great influence on the Penn State Women's Soccer program, and she has elevated the program over the past decade, including winning a National Championship. However, lets not forget former Coach Paula Wilkins who was both an Assistant Coach and Head Coach who had a high degree of success overseeing the program too. At the time, it was a head scratcher as to why former Coach Wilkins left Penn State to become the head coach of Wisconsin.
On a side note, it is disappointing that the Penn State Men's Soccer program has not had much success recently (a few good years here and there). Many soccer followers say that it is the mediocre coaches that have been hired to oversee the Men's team, and their inability to create relationships and recruit the mid-atlantic and northeast soccer clubs.
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She had a lot of success at PSU. She wanted to stay at PSU, but also put out feelers to other programs. Barry Alvarez made her an offer that included a big raise. She took this to PSU, and asked them to match it. Graham Spanier looked at the revenue and the expenses for WSOC, and elected not to match Wisconsin's offer. Paula did well for herself, and Wisconsin's program has done pretty well since she took over, but neither she nor Wisconsin have achieved the success she had at PSU.
I think it's a little premature to evaluate Jeff Cook. This is only his 2nd year as head coach. If I recall correctly, he took over the program in Jan. of 2018, which put him way behind for recruiting that year, and to some extent the following year. His connections running the Philadelphia Union Academy did help somewhat with recruiting in his 1st recruiting class, and in time I think he's got the pedigree to elevate the program. (In terms of recruiting mid-atlantic and northeast soccer clubs, he's very well known with all of the development academy teams in that region.)
PSU has had some serious battles with WVU over the past 15 or so years. I've followed the matchups between the two pretty closely, since a friend of mine's, who was a former PSU men's soccer player, daughter went to WVU after not being recruited by PSU.
The two teams tied @ WVU a few days ago
Today, PSU took on James Madison @ Jeffrey Field. The match was tied at the half, 1-1. Ally Schlegel scored to put the Lions ahead, 2-1, at the 53 minute mark
Kat Asman made a huge save for PSU on a penalty kick to preserve the win
The two teams tied @ WVU a few days ago
Today, PSU took on James Madison @ Jeffrey Field. The match was tied at the half, 1-1. Ally Schlegel scored to put the Lions ahead, 2-1, at the 53 minute mark
Kat Asman made a huge save for PSU on a penalty kick to preserve the win
Maybe I don't have realistic expectations, but with the way the team recruits, shouldn't they be better the last two years? They are still "good", don't get me wrong. Win-the-Big-Ten good. But a step below the top teams in the country it looks like. Anyone who follows the team closely have any insight?
Let's look at who played in the championship, as well as made the final four, for D1, this decade:
2010: Notre Dame defeated Stanford (Boston College and Ohio State in the final 4)
2011: Stanford defeated Duke (FSU and Wake Forest in the final 4)
2012: UNC defeated PSU (FSU and Stanford in the final 4)
2013: UCLA defeated FSU (UVA and VT in the final 4)
2014: FSU defeated UVA (Stanford and TAMU in the final 4)
2015: PSU defeated Duke (FSU and Rutgers in the final 4)
2016: USC defeated WVU (Georgetown and UNC in the final 4)
2017: Stanford defeated UCLA (South Carolina and Duke in the final 4)
2018: FSU defeated UNC (Stanford and Georgetown in the final 4)
Final 4 appearances this decade:
FSU - 6
Stanford - 5
UNC - 3
PSU - 2
UVA - 2
Georgetown - 2
Duke - 2
UCLA - 2
Notre Dame - 1
Boston College - 1
Ohio State - 1
Wake Forest - 1
VT - 1
TAMU - 1
Rutgers - 1
WVU - 1
South Carolina - 1
UNC, with their 21 championships, is considered the cadillac program, yet FSU and Stanford have more final 4 appearances than UNC this decade. I think the above numbers show that PSU is one of the elite programs, but a combination of injuries, the core of PSU's team on the US U-23 team one year, and just some bad luck in NCAAs have hurt PSU somewhat.
TopDrawerSoccer is considered the authority in soccer recruiting (and their info is also only available via subscription). They ranked PSU's 2019 recruiting class #1 in the country. If they recruit well in the coming years, PSU may have the makings of a truly great team.
I don't have any insights beyond that. I used to know a few players on the team, as well as the club or high school coaches of some of the team members. I've seen some of the current team members play in club or on US National teams, but I don't know them or their prior coaches, which makes it tough for me to gain insight into the program.
A member of the 2020 recruiting class took an official visit this past week. She's from Minnesota, and has been committed to PSU since July 2017. I'm pretty sure I have no seen her play. TopDrawerSoccer rates her the #15 player in the country in the 2020 recruiting class.
I'm not sure. She played in the Stanford game, as well as the Hofstra game. I don't recall if she played in the two games on the West Coast trip. She didn't play against WVU or against JMU.
PSU hosted Oklahoma State this evening. PSU took the lead at the 23 minute mark on a goal by Ally Schlegel (assist by Sam Coffey). OSU tied up the game at the 34 minute mark. At halftime, PSU had outshot OSU, 10-4.
At the end of the 2nd half, the game was still tied, 1-1. so the teams went to OT. Neither team scored in the 1st OT. Two minutes into the 2nd OT, OSU scored, and they won in double OT, 2-1.
At the end of the 2nd half, the game was still tied, 1-1. so the teams went to OT. Neither team scored in the 1st OT. Two minutes into the 2nd OT, OSU scored, and they won in double OT, 2-1.
She has not played since Long Beach State, 4 games ago. Wondering if she is hurt.
On Sunday, PSU took on #4 UVA, at Jeffrey Field.
PSU trailed at the half, 0-1. They tied the match on a nice goal by Ally Schlegel at the 85 minute mark.
Alas, UVA scored less than a minute later. UVA's goal was scored by Sydney Zandi -- a PA resident, who I saw play several times. (She was on the USWNT U-14, U-15, U-17, and U-19 team.)
PSU trailed at the half, 0-1. They tied the match on a nice goal by Ally Schlegel at the 85 minute mark.
Alas, UVA scored less than a minute later. UVA's goal was scored by Sydney Zandi -- a PA resident, who I saw play several times. (She was on the USWNT U-14, U-15, U-17, and U-19 team.)
Buddy and I took our 7 and 6 year-old daughters up for the MSU game. They had fun and it was great to witness the offensive explosion (and defensive dominance)! I hadn't been to a soccer match at PSU since I was a student over two decades ago, so I can't compare then to now, but... the crowd needs to get a bit more involved, IMHO. Too quiet for all the hard work the team was doing. They didn't even give a "We Are Penn State" cheer following scores and playing of Kernkraft 400, lol. 
Long day, but definitely fun. As a bonus, listened to the end of the PSU @ Pitt volleyball match following a stop at the Creamery on the way home. Go State!
Long day, but definitely fun. As a bonus, listened to the end of the PSU @ Pitt volleyball match following a stop at the Creamery on the way home. Go State!
michigan state can take solace in the fact that they are just lucky to be playing soccer.
PSU took on Minnesota on Friday. The two teams were scoreless through regulation, so they went to OT. Ally Schlegel got a goal in OT, as PSU won 1-0
They just need some loud, piped in music...that should do it.Buddy and I took our 7 and 6 year-old daughters up for the MSU game. They had fun and it was great to witness the offensive explosion (and defensive dominance)! I hadn't been to a soccer match at PSU since I was a student over two decades ago, so I can't compare then to now, but... the crowd needs to get a bit more involved, IMHO. Too quiet for all the hard work the team was doing. They didn't even give a "We Are Penn State" cheer following scores and playing of Kernkraft 400, lol.
