Penn State field hockey is back in the NCAA Tournament thanks to some familiar faces leading the charge into New Jersey this weekend.

The team certainly has the offense to help it compete with any foe in the country after outscoring its opponents 61-23 during the regular season.

But while the offense may be chugging along with the help of leading goalscorer Anna Simon, Penn State’s key to success in the national tournament plays between the pipes. In the cramped net players affectionately call “the cage,” senior goalkeeper Jenny Rizzo has had quite the season.

Rizzo is no stranger to starting between the pipes. In fact, she’s played almost every game since her freshman year, beginning her career with a 2-0 shutout against Temple in the 2015 home opener. She’s also been a fixture on the United States U-19 and U-21 national teams.

Head coach Char Morett-Curtiss has noticed Rizzo’s growth as a player since her freshman year, which led to her becoming a co-captain for her senior season.

Luckily for her, Rizzo had a role model during her freshman season to aspire to. Former Penn State captain Haley Kerstetter gave Rizzo someone to look up to for guidance and inspiration during her toughest moments.

“My freshman year, I didn’t really know what to expect coming from captains, so I kind of took what [Kersetter] showed me for granted. She was very calm and composed,” Rizzo said. “She was very confident, but in an inspiring way. Even when things were going badly, she was still inspiring.”

Since that first season, Rizzo has used her natural talents and built upon those roots. A big credit to that is the relationship between Rizzo and the team’s goalkeeper coach, Stuart Smith.

On the field, Smith recognized the pure ability Rizzo had, starting with her great hands and coordination, along with the confidence she brings to the turf that he says “separates her from other goalkeepers.”

While Smith knew he had a star all along, Morett-Curtiss emphasized the role he played in developing Rizzo’s knowledge of the sport to a level that allowed her to earn All-Big Ten honors for the second straight season.

Outside of the sport, Smith considers his relationship with Rizzo to be a special one, saying, “Her parents are like my parents.” He appreciates the chance to mold a goalkeeper like Rizzo over four years and all that’s come with training her, but he’s going to miss more than just her athletic work. 

“I’m just going to miss Jenny. She’s got a great personality and sense of humor. She’s just the type of person you can have conversations with,” Smith said. “I love her to bits. She’s so easy to coach.”

Having such a skilled goalkeeper is sure to put an air of reliability and confidence over a team. Heading into the postseason, Penn State will be able to use its strength at the back to its advantage.

Part of that is the sense of calm and normalcy Rizzo can bring to the table, with every player on the turf able to hear the team’s vocal backstop no matter the setting. The other part of that is the leadership role she plays, which Morett-Curtiss says will allow her team to play at its highest level. 

“She doesn’t demand more of them than what she would demand of herself,” Morett-Curtiss said. “I would say she leads by that passion and by having that competing spirit.”

The lone focus at the moment is the NCAA Tournament, where Rizzo will have the opportunity to help lead the Nittany Lions to their first Final Four since 2007. But her days as a shot-stopper won’t end when she hangs up her Penn State jersey.

“I think she’ll play at the Olympics. Hands down,” Smith said. “I work with a lot of the Olympic squad and she’s been very active with them and the World Cup squad. Knowing Jenny, that’s her range.”