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R ated the No. 2 defender in the nation by TopDrawerSoccer.com four years ago, Maddie Nolf could have gone to college just about anywhere. But when it came time to decide, the abundance of options didn't make for a difficult choice. Penn State had separated itself. "It was the one school I fell in love with," Nolf said. "It's as sim- ple as that." That decision has had positive consequences both for Nolf and for the Nittany Lions. The young prospect from Omaha, Neb., found a perfect fit at Penn State, starting 24 games and playing 2,085 minutes in 2014 to claim Big Ten All-Freshman honors. Except for the 2016 season, in which she redshirted while competing for the United States in the U-20 Women's World Cup, Nolf has been a mainstay of the Lions' backline ever since and this year is serving as a captain. She also found a life partner at Penn State – fellow athlete Jason Nolf. In the summer of 2017, the national champion wrestler flew to the Pacific Northwest, where Maddie and several Nittany Lion teammates were training with the Seattle Sounders Women of the Women's Pre- mier Soccer League. Her teammates helped Nolf pull off his surprise proposal on a beach looking out over Puget Sound. This past June, he and Maddie – formerly Maddie Elliston – were married in her na- tive Omaha. Jason Nolf has been a part of three NCAA team championships at Penn State and has won back-to-back individual ti- tles at 157 pounds. Meanwhile, Maddie started seven games during Penn State's 2015 national championship season. The Nolfs have collected a lot of hardware be- tween the two of them, and they might not be done winning trophies for Penn State. As of mid-September, the Nittany Lions were ranked 21st in the country and were the favorites to win their 19th Big Ten regular-season championship. One of the main reasons for all that optimism is a veteran defense that features Nolf, along with fellow senior Alina Ortega-Ju- rado and juniors Kaleigh Riehl and Ellie Jean. Coach Erica Dambach has called Penn State's defense "the backbone of that team." Through eight games, the Lions had outscored their opponents by a col- lective margin of 20-5, with five shutouts. A year ago, they recorded 13 shutouts in 24 games. Dambach put together a daunting non- conference schedule that included games against No. 9 West Virginia (a 1-0 victory on Aug. 17) and No. 2 UCLA (a 2-1 loss on Aug. 25). The aim was to prepare the Lions for what lies ahead – not just the conference schedule but the postseason, too. "This team has high goals, as they should," Dambach said. "But we've got to get better." The Nittany Lions didn't emerge from the nonconference season feeling en- tirely satisfied with their showing. In ad- dition to the loss to the Bruins, they fell to Wake Forest (1-0, Sept. 2) and Virginia (2-1, Sept. 9). Ranked fourth nationally to begin the season, they tumbled out of the top 20 following the loss to the Cavaliers. How- ever, they opened Big Ten play with a 4- 0 rout of Ohio State on Sept. 14, and Dambach said she saw the resilience she had been hoping to see in that game. The Nittany Lions outshot the Buckeyes 12-4, scoring three goals during an eight- minute span late in the first half to break the game open. "That was really fun," Dambach said afterward. "It was a real team perform- ance for us, and it's been what we've been waiting for in terms of the response from our group. I think they've had some dis- appointing performances, and tonight they came out and it was all actions. They trained that way all week, and now we see the result." The objective now is to carry that mo- mentum into the rest of the Big Ten sea- son and eventually the NCAA tournament. Since winning the national championship three years ago, Penn State has not gotten back to the College Cup. In 2016, the Nittany Lions fell to Virginia, 3-0, in the second round of NCAAs. Last year, they were ousted by top-seeded Stanford, 4-0, in the quar- terfinals. This year's team is very different from its immediate predecessors in that it in- cludes seven freshmen who comprise the eighth-ranked recruiting class in the country. But the Nittany Lions are always mind- ful of their storied past, and that's never been more true than this season. The pro- gram was launched in 1994, making this the 25th year of Penn State women's soc- cer. Current players are eager to make it a memorable one for more than just its milestone status. Whatever success the Nittany Lions enjoy in the coming months, Nolf will surely have a lot to do with it. As a fifth- year senior and a team captain, she knows that her role goes beyond simply keeping opposing players away from the net. "It's an honor," she said, "because there are so many great people, players and leaders on our team. "With that being said, I feel responsible to do my very best, but I don't feel any overwhelming pressure to be this 'great' leader. I feel I'm going to continue to be me." ■ WOMEN'S SOCCER Ambitious Lions see defense as key to successful season | NOLF

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