Tribe 1 Penn State 3
Two goals within 70 seconds doomed the Tribe in its first match of the 2008 season.
The College of William and Mary trailed no. 9 Pennsylvania State University 1-0 at halftime, but two quick Penn State goals less than five minutes into the second half pushed the College’s deficit to 3-0 and effectively buried the Tribe.
“A psychological killer,” College head coach John Daly said of the two goals.
Defensive breakdowns left Tribe goalkeeper Meghan Walker vulnerable and the Nittany Lions pounced on the opportunities. The two second half goals both came after missed assignments and poor clears.
“We have to be more physical,” Daly said. “They went to the ground much more often. We have to be a lot tougher.”
The Tribe was on its heels most of the night, as the Nittany Lions played a step faster and dictated the pace of the game. Penn State outshot the Tribe 14-5 and pushed forward at every opportunity, resulting in plenty of scoring chances and five corner kicks.
Active play from forward Danielle Toney allowed Penn State to find the net three times. She scored the Nittany Lions’ second goal and assisted on the third.
“We played good soccer,” Penn State head coach Erica Walsh ’97, who faced her former coach Daly for the second time, said. “We’re in beyond first-game form.”
And it showed as the Nittany Lions consistently won loose balls and played strongly for an entire 90 minutes.
Daly said the Tribe battled well midway through the second half,
but lost its sense of urgency as the game neared the 90th minute.
A goal from senior forward Claire Zimmeck gave the College a shot in the arm in the 67th minute, but it wasn’t enough to spark a comeback. Freshman forward Stephanie Gerow, who spelled junior striker Kelly Jenkins in each half, raced down the sideline, gathered the ball and crossed to a streaking Zimmeck who headed it past the Penn State goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher for Tribe’s lone tally.
