Not only will military servicemen and women will be honored at the Penn State football game against Army, but the Nittany Lions will be welcoming three more special guests.
A trio of Penn State women’s soccer alumnae will be honored at halftime this Saturday. Ali Krieger (’06), Alyssa Naecher (’09), and Carmelina Moscato (’05) will be making their way back to Happy Valley this weekend.
Krieger and Naeher became the first ever Nittany Lions to win a World Cup as part of the United States national team this past July. They helped the U.S. to a 5-2 victory over Japan in the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup final. Five other Nittany Lions also participated in soccer’s biggest event, hosted by Canada.
Penn State was tied for second among collegiate soccer programs in World Cup participation (Stanford had five and North Carolina had nine).
Krieger started in all seven U.S. matches, including the final, where the former two-time NSCAA All-American played every minute and recorded a shot in the 48th minute. She was also part of the red, white and blue back line that recorded five-straight shutouts before the final and held opponents scoreless for 540 consecutive minutes before Japan scored in the 27th minute.
Krieger played all but nine minutes in the tournament, subbing out in the 81st minute in the Round of 16 match vs. Columbia.
While making her second world cup appearance, Krieger also recorded impressive shots in the 73rd minute vs. China, as well as a shot on-goal in the 34th minute against Sweden.
While playing for Penn State she was also named first team NSCAA All-American, co-defensive player of the year, team captain, Big-Ten Freshman of the year and a semifinalist for the Hermann Trophy. While at Penn State, her team won four consecutive Big Ten championships. During her senior season, Krieger switched from the midfield position to defense and earned the Big Ten Conference Defensive Player of the Year award.
Naeher, a three-time NSCAA All-American at Penn State, served as a backup for U.S Goalkeeper, Hope Solo.
The former Nittany Lion made her World Cup debut with the senior team after helping the U.S. U-20 women’s national team to win the 2008 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Naeher also won the Golden love as the top goalkeeper in the tournament.
While at Penn State, Naeher started in all games that she played in during her Nittany Lion career.
Moscato, a solid Centerback, helped Canada reach the quarterfinal round before being eliminated by England. She made her third World Cup appearance and has been a member of Canada’s national program since 2000. She earned her first start of the cup against the Netherlands, playing the entire match, and entered in the 68th minute against New Zealand.
As a Nittany Lion, Moscato helped the women’s soccer program win four Big Ten regular season championships while also helping the team in the College Cup semifinals in 2002 and 2005.
Penn State Football will be hosting West Point’s Army this Saturday, Oct. 3. at Beaver Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. ET.
