Penn State Women’s Soccer’s Sam Coffey Ranked No. 2 Player In Country
Six Penn State women’s soccer stars were included in TopDrawerSoccer’s midseason awards this week.
Women’s soccer star Sam Coffey is ranked No. 2 overall in the midseason Top 100 players in the nation, excluding freshmen. This is the same ranking she received in the preseason poll. She once again trails Jaelin Howell of Florida State.
The New York native has been as dynamic as ever this season, controlling the midfield and putting her attacking teammates in positions for success. In addition to her eight assists, Coffey has six goals in just 11 games.
As a mostly deep-lying playmaker, her stats this year have been off the chart and well-deserving of a silver medal up to this point. It is worth noting that Howell hasn’t played in the spring at all, and her performance within the ACC that’s deemed her the best player in the nation is based on the fall season.
Coffey is joined by three other non-freshmen teammates in the top 100.
After playing a part in each of the six goals in last Saturday’s drubbing of Maryland, Frankie Tagliaferri came in at No. 49 nationally. TopDrawerSoccer’s panel undoubtedly saw her year-over-year improvement, seeing as Tagliaferri was unranked in the preseason.
The senior hailing from Colts Neck, New Jersey has definitely earned her ranking, even before adding two goals and four assists against the Terrapins. Tagliaferri is currently second in points earned for the Big Ten with 21.
Who is first in that particular statistic? Of course, it would be Ally Schlegel, who came in at a nice No. 69 on the list. The redshirt sophomore has been an absolute terror for defenses across the Big Ten and bumped her ranking 10 spots up from a few months back.
Schlegel also leads the Big Ten in goals (9) and is in the top 10 in shots on goal (No. 3), game-winning goals (No. 5), and assists (No. 5).
The fourth and final Nittany Lion to make the top 100 is Kerry Abello at No. 76. If it weren’t for a recent injury, Abello may have not dropped from her No. 43 preseason perch. She played in only seven of the 11 regular-season contests, but Abello’s ability to act as a utility player is enough for her to remain comfortably within the nation’s elite players.
It is also worth noting that three of the four players mentioned – Coffey, Tagliaferri, and Abello – are all seniors. However, each of them has elected to use their extra year of eligibility and return for next fall.
In addition to the older players, two freshmen were also recognized in the midseason freshman top 100. Spanish defender Eva Alonso came in at No. 4, while Ellie Wheeler is No. 29.
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