CARY, N.C. — In the run to the national championship game, Penn State has compiled an outstanding record on both sides of the ball.

The Nittany Lions have scored 19 goals, and conceded zero in five tournament games. They’ve scored twice in each of the past two games against two of the nation’s best defenses, Rutgers and West Virginia. The last time they've given up a goal was more than a month ago, in the dying minutes of a 3-1 win against Illinois back on November 1, a streak of six games.

Ahead of Friday’s semifinal matchup with Rutgers, head coach Erica Walsh mentioned how the team’s sterling defensive record starts with the team’s front six, sentiments echoed by super sophomore Frannie Crouse after topping Rutgers.

“I think our attack comes from how well our defense is playing and how unified as a team we are in our defense,” she said. “If we don’t have to defend that much, it gives us that much more of an opportunity to attack. When we keep the ball and move it around and win the ball back after giving it away, it gives us way more opportunities to score, and I think that’s why we’ve been capitalizing on our opportunities.”

Signs of this were evident during Friday night’s victory against Rutgers. Despite their own sterling defensive record this season, the Scarlet Knights were pinned back in their own half for long stretches of the game. Midfield trio Nickolette Driesse, Raquel Rodriguez and Emily Ogle played out of pressure on more than one occasion, limiting chances for Rutgers to start a counter high up the pitch. And when Rutgers did force turnovers, Penn State’s high pressure usually won the ball back quickly.

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Forwards Crouse, Mallory Weber and Megan Schafer covered large swathes of ground, making it difficult for Rutgers’ high quality center backs Brianne Reed and Erica Skroski to build from the back. That defending leaves a young, albeit experienced back line protected. In the win over Rutgers, Penn State started freshman Kaleigh Riehl, sophomores Elizabeth Ball, Maddie Elliston and Brittany Basinger the back.

Penn State's strength in depth is a perfect compliment to its defensive approach up front, as Walsh is able to make a number of changes in all parts of the pitch. That allowed players to stay fresh, and keep chasing throughout the night.

“This is probably the deepest team that I’ve had in my nine years at Penn State,” Walsh said. “It’s reflective of the substitution patterns throughout the course of the season. Kaleigh Riehl scored her first goal ever in her career. You got different players stepping up at different times. You never know which player it is going to come from, so that’s probably why this team has been so successful.”

Building that team wasn’t easy, of course. But Penn State has players that blend speed, athleticism, and also the technical ability to play out of tight spots, a huge reason they’ve made it back to the championship game.

“You have to go out and look for different skillsets and make sure that every player you bring in has their own unique piece that they can add to the program,” Walsh said. “And what made this group so special is that we found 26 players with individual strengths and areas of weakness. We’ve been able to combine those and fill in each other’s gaps.”

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