Sam Coffey’s Hat Trick Powers Penn State Past Maryland
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Senior Sam Coffey scored three goals as Penn State women’s soccer earned a much needed, commanding 5-1 victory over Maryland on Friday night.
Coffey, a team captain, entered the game with 12 points on the season. With her three goals, as well as an assist, she was able to jump up to 19 points this year, enough to overtake junior teammate Payton Linnehan for the team lead. Linnehan remains sidelined with an MCL injury.
Head coach Erica Dambach praised Coffey’s big performance after the game.
“She’s putting her whole heart into what she’s doing right now, and I love to see it paying off for her and this team. She is the best player in college soccer right now, and she’s proving it game after game,” Dambach said.
Coffey’s big night was an essential part of the Penn State win, but she didn’t do it all alone. Redshirt junior Ally Schlegel and senior Rachel Wasserman each scored one goal in the victory. The defensive unit, as well as goalie Katherine Asman, also stepped up to limit Maryland’s success.
Coach Dambach noted the strong effort and teamwork across the board. She chalks up the team’s success Friday night to their persistent hard work.
“They’re doing everything they need to be successful, and when you have a team that’s taking care of all the little things and all the details, you want to see it pay off. It doesn’t always work that way, but when it does, it’s nice to see,” Dambach said.
Coming off a 1-4 stretch as a team, Penn State looked rejuvenated, generating an impressive 18 shots, 10 of which were on goal. They also held Maryland to five total shots in the game.
Maryland’s lone goal was scored by Mikayla Dayes, which came early in the first half.
Success on both ends proved to be a huge difference maker for the Nittany Lions, as did their ability to put the past few games behind them. Sam Coffey was sure to point that out after the game.
“We have faced a lot of adversity this season, and this team has a lot of fight in it. That’s something, as a captain, that I’m really proud of,” Coffey said.
Penn State will face Indiana this coming Wednesday, Oct. 17. It will be the Nittany Lions’ second of three straight home games that began with the win over the Terrapins. For Coffey, as well as her teammates, having a long stay home is a huge deal.
“We are definitely happy just to be here. I don’t think we have ever had a three-game homestand up to this point. We love having the Army, and family, being here and just to be in one place for more than a week, so that will be huge for us,” Coffey said.
Joe Tuman is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email him at joentuman@gmail.com.
