Nittany Lions earn spot in College Cup final
The Cary WakeMed Soccer Park is not the Rose Bowl, but Penn State women’s soccer team viewed the Tobacco Road destination as a prestigious stage based on past College Cups and national youth soccer events hosted here.
The Nittany Lions extended their prized trip two more days with a 2-0 win over Rutgers in the 2015 Women’s College Cup on Friday at a site that has now held seven Women’s College Cups and four Men’s College Cups.
“I’ve played here with my club team when I was younger and my club came here 10 years to watch the Final Four when Notre Dame won,” said redshirt sophomore Brittany Basinger. “I remember I idolized those girls and dreamed about playing here in the College Cup someday.”
The No. 6-ranked Nittany Lions (21-3-2) and No. 9 Rutgers (19-4-3) met for the most important and third time this season in the national semifinal. Rutgers won 1-0 on Oct. 18 in Piscataway and Penn State won on Nov. 8 at Jeffrey Field in the Big Ten Championship game.
“Penn State is a very good team and well coached and we have a great deal of respect for them,” Rutgers coach Mike O’Neill said. “When you play against a team like that, the details are so important. We made some mistakes and they capitalized.”
In a game of defensive tactics with few shots on goal, Penn State took a 1-0 lead 23 minutes into the first half.
A Scarlet Knights defender passed backward to clear the ball unaware that Penn State’s Frannie Crouse was nearby. The sophomore intercepted the ball and managed a shot from 15 yards out that got past Rutgers goalie Casey Murphy.
In the second half, the Nittany Lions nearly added an insurance goal with 25:14 left in the match by senior Mallory Weber, who led the Big Ten this year with 10 assists.
Weber broke with the ball down the right side and shot to her left. Weber’s shot got past Murphy but hit the left post and bounced back to Murphy before a Penn State player could contend for the a rebound shot.
The 2-0 lead came with 11:15 left in the match. Rutgers was trying to clear the ball from in front of the net when Weber contested a Rutgers player for the ball. She nudged a pass to freshman Kaleigh Riehl and she converted.
Crouse’s goal was her 11th of the season and Riehl’s was her first. That boosted Penn State’s goals by underclassmen for the season to 46. Penn State Coach Erica Walsh credited her team’s 11-game winning streak since losing to Rutgers to younger players’ maturation. Weber is one of only five seniors on the roster.
“We are a much more mature team that has grown together the last 10 games,” said Walsh, referring to the Rutgers loss moving forward. “It’s been amazing to watch them grow.”
The Nittany Lions expected another tactical game with two teams so familiar with each other. Penn State players said they let Rutgers get too physical with them in the first meeting.
The first semifinal matching Big Ten teams was followed by an All-ACC final. With a Big Ten/ACC championship match, maybe women’s soccer should explore a Big Ten/ACC Challenge similar to basketball.
“I would be in favor of that if schedules could be worked out,” said Florida State coach Mark Krikorian. “We like to play strong teams. I’m a big fan of Penn State coach Erica Walsh and (Rutgers coach) Mike O’Neil.”
Walsh said the All-Big Ten semifinal was proof of the conference’s growth in women’s soccer.
“Every year the Big Ten continues to grow and improve,” she said. “We’ve seen this coming. To us there is no surprise. The gap between the top teams and lower teams is closer.”
Penn State played away from home for the first time after shutting out four straight regional opponents in University Park. The Nittany Lions beat Albany 5-0, Boston University 6-0, Ohio State 4-0 and West Virginia 2-0.
This was Walsh’s ninth straight team in the NCAA tournament and second to the College Cup. The 2012 team finished as the runner-up to North Carolina, losing 4-1 in San Diego.
Rutgers reached the College Cup after it knocked off No. 1-ranked Virginia in the NCAA regional final. In Friday’s nightcap, No. 20 Duke upset defending national champion and No. 2-ranked Florida State 2-0 to advance to play the Nittany Lions.
The championship match is set for noon Sunday.
This story was originally published December 4, 2015 at 9:29 PM with the headline "Nittany Lions earn spot in College Cup final."