Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1187122
P ayton Linnehan came to Penn State because, she said, the university "feels like my second home." Still, even perfect fits aren't always per- fect right from the start, and the fresh- man forward from Douglas, Mass., needed time to adapt to her new sur- roundings. "I guess at the beginning of the season I didn't really know what to ex- pect," she told GoPSU- Sports.com. "But everybody was so welcoming and inclu- sive and they've taught me a lot, especially from the begin- ning of the season up to now." Linnehan, who had com- peted for the U.S. Women's National Team's U-15 and U-17 squads before coming to Penn State, has certainly put those lessons to good use. By the end of the regular season, she had es- sentially established a third home near the opponent's net, and she could be found there whenever the Nittany Lions needed a crucial goal. Linnehan helped spark a late-season surge, tallying six points in the team's last four regular-sea- son games, including two goals in a 3-1 victory over Northwestern. That surge continued in the Big Ten tournament, in which Linnehan clinched the title for Penn State with an overtime goal that gave the Lions a 2-1 victory over Michigan in the championship game Nov. 10 at Rutgers. The goal – Linnehan's sixth of the season – came on a long pass from Frankie Tagli- aferri that she chipped past Michigan goalkeeper Hillary Beall. The Nittany Lions had defeated Iowa, 2- 0, in the quarterfinal round, then shut out Purdue, 2-0, in the semifinals after the eighth-seeded Boilermakers had shocked the tournament's top seed, Wisconsin, in the quarters. In the title game against the Wolverines, Penn State gave up a goal in the 82nd minute but needed only 42 sec- onds to get the equalizer, as Sam Coffey scored on a penalty kick. The Lions' triumph at Big Tens was hardly unexpected; they have been the conference's flagship women's soccer program throughout its history, winning THE LONG GAME A tough early schedule pays big dividends for the Penn State women's soccer team | VARSITY VIEWS GOLDEN GOAL Linnehan (12) celebrates with her teammates after scoring the winning goal in the Big Ten championship game. Photo by David Wilcomes/ MGoBlog