Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/617289
T here were three Duke players con- verging on Mallory Weber as she moved in closer, and another pair of Blue Devils between her and fellow Penn State senior Raquel Rodriguez on the op- posite side of the net, just outside the goal area. But Rodriguez was screaming for a pass, and that was all Weber needed to hear. Said the veteran forward, "When Rocky wants the ball, you try to 2nd a way to give it to her." You do indeed. Rodriguez – Rocky to teammates, coaches and followers of Penn State women's soccer – was one of the main reasons for the Nittany Lions' pres- ence in this year's College Cup 2nal. She was a 2rst-team NSCAA All-American and Hermann Trophy 2nalist, and six months earlier she had become the 2rst Penn State player to score a goal in the Women's World Cup, as she helped her native Costa Rica 2ght back to tie Spain, 1-1. Su5ce it to say, she was having a nice run. Against Duke, she drew on her experience at the sport's highest level, gathering in Weber's pass, backtracking and then 3ick- ing a le6-footed shot past E.J. Proctor into the lower right corner of the net in the game's 72nd minute. It was, in the words of ESPN analyst Julie Foudy, "a Costa Rican international veteran move." It was also the di4erence in a 1-0 victory Dec. 6 in Cary, N.C. – a victory that de- livered Penn State its 2rst national cham- pionship and gave Rodriguez another high- light-reel moment in a truly spectacular year. "Every goal is special," she said. "You VARSITY VIEWS GONNA FLY NOW Raquel Rodriguez delivers knockout blow as Lions win NCAA soccer crown | TROPHY GAME Play- ers celebrate following their 1-0 vic- tory over Duke in the College Cup final. The Nittany Lions did not give up a single goal during their six- game title run. Photo courtesy of Penn State Athletics