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NO TE BOOK WOMEN'S SOCCER Lions top Michigan to reach quarterfinals After falling behind 2-0 on penalty kicks, Penn State converted its last three to break a 1-1 tie and defeat Michigan in a marathon third-round NCAA tournament match Nov. 18 at Jeffrey Field. Junior forward Maya Hayes sent the go-ahead penalty kick into the lower right corner of the net, and when Erin McNulty blocked Holly Hein's shot on Michigan's fifth and fi- nal kick, players and fans poured out onto the field to celebrate. The Nit- tany Lions (19-3-2) moved on to face Duke at home Nov. 23 in the quar- terfinals, with the winner advancing to the College Cup in San Diego. The score was tied, 1-1, when regu- Penn State Athletic Communications court has helped her become a better leader. "I'm not a very loud person," she says, "but I've put it on myself to be the one who steps up and says something when need be." That hints at another of Rose's mo- tivational tactics: Eschewing scream- ing and stage-managing and letting his players figure out when and how to lead. Penn State's best teams have been defined by the coach's sideline calm under pressure and his players' ability to thrive under big-match pres- sure. Last year's team wasn't one of those, but this year's squad – with much the same roster, just a year older – looks like it might well be. "It's not about being more talented," Scott says. "We've played together for another year, and we expect more from ourselves." Those expectations can best be summed up as "champions or bust." Which, Scott knows, is exactly how it's supposed to be. lation play ended, and neither team scored in the two 10-minute sudden- victory periods that followed. Penn State entered the tournament as a No. 1 seed and advanced to the third round with victories over LIU Brooklyn (4-0) and Boston College (5- 2). Against the Eagles, PSU sprinted out to a 3-0 lead and held off a BC rally in the second half. The Nittany Lions entered the tour- nament on the heels of their 15th consecutive Big Ten regular-season championship. Erica Walsh was named the league's Coach of the Year, Hayes was its Forward of the Year, Christine Nairn its Midfielder of the Year and Whitney Church its De- fender of the Year. MEN'S SOCCER PSU falls to Spartans in Big Ten tourney The regular season couldn't have gone much better for Penn State. It finished with a share of the Big Ten championship, Bob Warming was honored as the conference's Coach of the Year and seven players re- ceived All-Conference recognition, the most for a Nittany Lion squad in seven years. After finishing the regular season with a 9-4-3 overall record, Penn State earned the No. 1 seed and a bye in the first round of the Big Ten tournament. But that's where the success ended. Facing fifth-seeded Michigan State in the semifinals, the Nittany Lions were bounced from the conference tournament, 3-1. The loss resulted in Penn State failing to receive an NCAA tournament invitation. CROSS COUNTRY 14th at NCAA meet For the third time in the past four seasons, the Penn State women fin- ished in the top 15 of the NCAA championships. Most recently, Penn State turned in a 14th-place finish at the nation- al meet, which was hosted by the University of Louisville on Nov. 17. Philadelphia native Victoria Perri, a junior, led the Lions with the best individual performance, claiming 47th place overall. As a first-time qualifier, Perri was the second-best finisher among all Big Ten runners. Her time of 20 minutes, 21 seconds was a personal record for a 6,000- meter course. Senior Sam Masters was the lone PSU women finish qualifier on the men's side. He placed 231st overall with a time of 32:25.0 on a 10,000-meter course. "It was a great season," said coach Beth Alford-Sullivan, who was named U.S. Track and Field/Cross Country Association Mid-Atlantic Region Women's Coach of the Year. "We actually started off the year un- ranked and overachieved the whole way through. This team really came together at the right time."

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