Penn State women’s soccer concludes its home slate with opening-round NCAA Tournament win

The Penn State women’s soccer campaign thus far may not have gone according to plan for the Nittany Lions, with seven losses in the regular season and a first-round exit in the Big Ten Tournament at the hands of Michigan.

But it was just one win that mattered Friday night for coach Erica Dambach’s group.

The blue and white downed Monmouth 3-1 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, with its first two goals being scored in the first half. Both teams were unseeded coming into the matchup.

Penn State redshirt junior forward Ally Schlegel got the scoring started with a top-left strike off of an assist from super senior Kerry Abello in the 26th minute.

For her eighth goal of the season, Schlegel got a header on the Abello cross to account for the eventual game winner for her squad.

The 2020-21 Penn State Female Athlete of the Year took the opportunity in stride, but she didn’t overthink her next moves while rushing the 18-yard box.

“I had no thoughts, just jumped,” Schlegel said. “I just knew I was trying to get across my player, really.”

The next goal would come 12 minutes later in the 38th minute as junior midfielder Payton Linnehan put her Nittany Lions up by two. The third-year player came into the game as a substitute just minutes prior to scoring her seventh goal of the season.

Schlegel was glad to have Linnehan back in the lineup after the latter hadn’t appeared in a game for Penn State since Sept. 19 against Rutgers in the Big Ten conference opener.

“I want Payton’s speed for Christmas,” Schlegel said. “It’s the best thing ever [to have Linnehan back]. I think she just adds so much dynamic movement up top.”

Linnehan had scored six goals in eight appearances before her injury sidelined her for seven weeks with a three-goal showing against La Salle in the blue and white’s second game of the season.

The Nittany Lions’ head coach concurred with Schlegel’s thoughts on Linnehan’s comeback.

“She’s all right,” Dambach said in jest. “She brings such a level of energy and excitement to our group.”

Returning to the rotation in a critical postseason run, Linnehan said she’s largely back to how she felt before her injury.

“It was a long recovery,” Linnehan said. “But I’m good, and I feel good.”

The two teams remained scoreless for much of the final 45 minutes, but two late goals from both programs kept the game interesting in the waning minutes.

Penn State took a 3-0 lead on a chance from senior midfielder Rachel Wasserman in the 75th minute. The goal was her third of the campaign.

Monmouth showed signs of life in crunch time with a Rachel Ludwick goal just three minutes after the Nittany Lions’ final point, lessening Penn State’s lead to two once again.

The last 12 minutes of action didn’t see any scoring from either team.

Dambach said her team’s effort and preparation impressed her as it entered the NCAA Tournament.

“A really professional performance tonight by our group, I thought they came out with a ton of energy,” Dambach said. “It’s a reflection of these last two weeks of training, they’ve really dug in. Spirits have been high.”

Entering a tilt with the winner of USC vs. Grand Canyon next Friday in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Penn State has won five of its last seven games with its two losses to the same opponent in Michigan.

Now in their 27th-straight NCAA Tournament, the Nittany Lions wouldn’t consider that streak as adding any “pressure,” per se.

“I don’t think ‘pressure’ is the right word, I think ‘standard’ is the word that I would look for when we look at our team,” Schlegel said. “We don’t really look at the past in a way where it’s a burden… it’s an honor to play for this program.”

The game also marked the last time Penn State will play at Jeffrey Field this season, and Schlegel saw her senior teammates take in the Happy Valley venue once the final whistle sounded.

“Playing on Jeffrey Field is the best feeling in the world,” Schlegel said. “You have Kerry Abello coming off the field, it’s her last game. Sam Coffey is in tears, because it just means that much.

“We’ve seen every senior class before us have those tears when they know it’s their last game here. When you see that, you know in your heart that this is special.”