Blue White Illustrated

M aybe Penn State ought to play spring soccer every year. Heading into their respective Big Ten tournaments, both the men's and women's teams had acclimated quite nicely to the change of seasons, nei- ther team apparently fazed by the chal- lenge of competing in the winter/spring rather than in the fall due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Nittany Lion women clinched the Big Ten's regular-season championship on March 28 with a 3-0 victory over Nebraska. The tri- umph did not exactly come as a surprise. The Lions had been named the preseason favorites for the 18th season in a row, and after an upset loss to Rutgers on opening day, they quickly recovered and surged to the top of the league standings. The regular-season Big Ten crown was the 20th in school his- tory and the team's 16th outright. As expected, Penn State has shined on offense throughout the shortened, Big Ten-only campaign. During a five-game win streak to close out the regular season, the Lions outscored Minnesota, Michi- gan, Iowa, Nebraska and Maryland by a combined margin of 17-1. That included one of the better senior days in the pro- gram's illustrious history. Not only did the Lions thrash the Terrapins, 6-0, they got an assist from senior honoree Kristin Schnurr. And as for their other seniors – team captains Frankie Tagliaferri, Sam Coffey and Kerry Abello – they all an- nounced that they intend to return for the fall 2021 season, taking advantage of the NCAA's decision to grant athletes an extra year of eligibility due to the pandemic. Coffey and Abello had both been drafted into the National Women's Soccer League in January but will be delaying their professional careers to play one more collegiate season. Coffey, a Boston College transfer, said, "In two short years, Happy Valley has become my home." Added Abello, "I love this team and this school with my whole heart, and I can't wait to see what we can accomplish in 2021." Tagliaferri cited "unfinished business" in announcing her decision. "I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to rep- resent Penn State throughout my time here and promise to continue doing so for the rest of my life," she said. "However, there are still goals and unfinished business left here for me at Penn State, which is why I'm excited to be returning for my last season with my Penn State family." There's plenty of business still to be conducted this spring. The Nittany Lions, who were ranked sixth in the United Soc- cer Coaches poll heading into the final weekend of the regular season, were set to open the postseason at home April 11 against either Michigan or Indiana in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament. The league tourney is a stepping stone to NCAAs. The Nittany Lions have a na- tional championship under coach Erica Dambach but haven't been back to the Women's College Cup since winning the NCAA crown in 2015. Due to the pan- demic, this year's 48-team tournament will take place entirely in North Carolina. The 36-team men's tourney will also be in North Carolina, and Penn State would love to be involved in that one, too. The Lions wrapped up their regular season with a 2-2 double-overtime tie at Maryland. It was the first time in five matches that they failed to come away with a victory, but even with a less-than-satisfying result, there were hopeful signs heading into the post- season. The Nittany Lions twice rallied from one-goal deficits, eventually sending the match to overtime when Pierre Reedy beat Terps goalkeeper Jamie Lowell in the 86th minute for the equalizer. "I thought today was an incredibly ex- citing, highly competitive Big Ten soccer match," head coach Jeff Cook said. "I'm immensely proud of our players for com- ing back twice and for consistently doing everything they could to try to win. As al- ways, this was a performance that high- lighted the depth of our team, but there were some outstanding performances from Kris Shakes, Pierre Reedy, Seth Kuhn and Peter Mangione, amongst several of our players." Penn State was 6-1-1 heading into a Big Ten tournament quarterfinal matchup against Ohio State on April 10 at Jeffrey Field. The Lions were receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches poll and went into the postseason seeking their second consecutive NCAA tournament berth under Cook. Before his arrival, the Lions hadn't been to NCAAs since 2014. ■ VARSITY VIEWS A SPRING IN THEIR STEP Both PSU soccer teams have come on strong during their pandemic-delayed seasons | TAGLIAFERRI Ryan Gri

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