Harrisburg aiming to finish 2021 on top
HARRISBURG, Pa. 鈥� First-year Penn State Harrisburg women鈥檚 soccer coach Brandon West is seeing the team he envision playing as the Nittany Lions prepare for the United East Conference Tournament with a bid in the NCAA Division III tournament on the line.
West, who was hired as coach two weeks before the preseason started, watched the players transform into a team adept at pressing and attacking.
Sydney Hemler鈥檚 goal against Penn State Berks Oct. 23 on the road cemented what has been a successful transformation. Hemler was able to guide a corner from Katie Kosovac into the net in the 11th minute to propel Penn State Harrisburg to a 1-0 victory.
The win gave Penn State Harrisburg (9-4-4 overall, 7-0-1 United East) its first regular season conference title since 2009.
鈥淭he fun thing is you have to earn your minutes now,鈥� West said. 鈥淣othing is guaranteed anymore. They have to fight for another game, another week. We get to play the best teams in our conference again and will see if we can play them better. There will be a lot of new territory for this group, which is also fun. We鈥檙e a team that wants to be on the front foot and want to dictate how the game is played.鈥�
The Nittany Lions have shown their ability to be a versatile group. When midfielder/forward Rhyan Socash went out with an injury, Penn State Harrisburg leaned on Kylee Altland to step into the role as striker.
Altland, who is tied with Socash for the team lead with six goals, has scored two game-winning goals. Hemler also missed some time with a knee injury, and has played a vital role.
West said Penn State Harrisburg was able to adapt well throughout the season.
鈥淚 thought we were going to play a certain system in the preseason, but I found out it didn鈥檛 work,鈥� West said. 鈥淲e had players settle into positions and have been playing in our current system and it works well.鈥�
Penn State Harrisburg ran through the conference schedule in the regular season, winning by a combined margin of 26-1 in seven United East victories. The Nittany Lions lone blemish was a 0-0 tie with St. Mary鈥檚 (Md.).
Penn State Harrisburg will host the United East Conference tournament next month with a chance to move on to nationals. West is excited to see how they handle the challenge.
鈥淐an we play this way in a game where the stakes are at its highest?鈥� West said. 鈥淐an our players handle that and stick together through the tough times? It will be fun to see how this group responds. If you win, you move on. We want our last game to be our best.鈥�
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