Trio Of Penn State Women’s Soccer Standouts Named To MAC Hermann Trophy Watchlist
Three Penn State women’s soccer players were named to the preseason watch list for the MAC Hermann Trophy — an annual award presented to the top men’s and women’s soccer players of the year.
Kaleigh Riehl, Frankie Tagliaferri, and Sam Coffey represent the Nittany Lions on the women’s list, which includes 61 players in total. Coaches vote for their picks throughout the season in successive rounds, and winners are announced in January.
Riehl, a redshirt senior and one of three team captains, led a Penn State back line that posted 12 shutouts last season against notable competition and never allowed more than two goals in a match. She started every match for Penn State last season, was named an All-American, and reached the semifinals of the MAC Hermann Trophy voting as a junior.
Tagliaferri leads a deadly Penn State attack that outscored its opponents 44-13 last season. The junior notched an impressive seven goals and five assists in the Nittany Lions’ 2018 campaign, building on her four-goal freshman season in 2017. Tagliaferri returns to Jeffrey Field in 2019 flanked by striking partners Kerry Abello and Kristen Schnurr in what should be a dangerous partnership.
Tagliaferri and Riehl are joined on the watchlist by their new teammate Sam Coffey, a redshirt junior who spent two seasons at Boston College before transferring to Penn State. Coffey was a semifinalist in last year’s MAC Hermann Trophy voting, notching 12 goals and 14 assists for the Golden Eagles. She’ll likely slot into the center of Penn State’s midfield to take the place of the recently-drafted Emily Ogle.
Only two Nittany Lions have won the MAC Hermann Trophy — Christie Welsh earned the honor in 2001 and Raquel “Rocky” Rodriguez won in 2015 after leading the Nittany Lions to the first NCAA title in program history.
Penn State begins its season at Jeffrey Field Friday, August 23, with a match against Stanford.
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