Erica Walsh Position: Head Coach Years: 1st Season

Head coach Erica Walsh is entering her second season at the helm of the Penn State women's soccer program. Her transition into the Nittany Lion family was as smooth as anyone could have hoped for as she led the squad to its 10th-straight Big Ten title and 13th NCAA appearance. The team finished 18-4-2 including a 9-1-0 mark in conference play and was ranked 12th in the final NSCAA poll of the season.

In January of 2008, Walsh was named as the assistant coach for Pia Sundhage of the U.S. National Team. Walsh brought with her a wealth of experience at both the international and collegiate levels having coached at six different universities, including three stints as head coach as well as serving as an assistant for the U.S. U-19 team from March to December of 2004 and as head coach of the U-17 team from December 2004 to February of 2007.

Under Walsh's guidance the U.S. team has gone completed its historic run with a gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

The head coach at Harvard University as well as the U.S. Under-17 team prior to her hiring, Walsh has consistently been active among the coaching ranks both at the Division I level and with the U.S. Youth National Team program for nearly a decade. Prior to her time with the Harvard Crimson, she was part of a Florida State staff that led the Seminoles to its most successful year to date. FSU joined Penn State in the 2005 Women's Soccer College Cup, with both programs reaching the national semifinals.

Walsh's coaching path began in 1997 as a graduate assistant with Bucknell University. In 1998, she accepted a position at Dartmouth where she was an assistant coach for two seasons. After helping the team to a final NSCAA ranking of No. 8 at the conclusion of the team's 1998 NCAA quarterfinal run as well as an Ivy League championship in 1999, Walsh assumed the head coaching duties before the 2000 season.

As head coach, Walsh led the Big Green to back-to-back Ivy League co-championships in 2000 and 2001. Her squad was ranked in the NSCAA's top 25 each year, rising as high as No. 13 in 2001. In her three seasons as head coach, Dartmouth was invited to the NCAA Tournament each season and reached the round of 16 twice. All three of her teams earned the NSCAA's Academic Team Award. Walsh left Dartmouth to earn her MBA in Business Administration at Lehigh University where she served as a graduate assistant from 2003-04.

Beginning in the spring of 2004, Walsh joined the United States Under-19 team as an assistant coach where she helped with preparations for the Under-19 World Cup. The U.S. finished with the bronze medal in Thailand after defeating Brazil in the third place match. After the World Cup, Walsh was appointed the U.S. National Team's U-17 head coach, a position which she held for three years.

As a player, Walsh was an NSCAA all-region selection at William & Mary. A two-time first team All-CAA pick, she propelled her team to four NCAA Tournament appearances as well as two CAA regular season and two CAA league championships. A high school All-American at Lower Moreland, she was also a member of the U.S. Under-17 National Team. She earned her bachelor of science degree with a concentration in biology from William & Mary in 1997.

Walsh on what Penn State apart from other colleges and universities: "Undoubtedly, it's the combination between the athletics and the academics. It's what Coach Paterno refers to as `The Great Experiment.' PennState has created an environment where student-athletes can pursue an outstanding education while competing at the highest level of college soccer. This is precisely the reason Iwanted to join the PennState Community."

Walsh on a Penn State player's soccer future after graduation:
"Several of the players coming through this program will have the opportunity to play in the re-emerging women's professional league. The current U.S. National Team roster includes two PennState alums in Christie Welsh and Joanna Lohman and Erin McLeod is part of the Canadian National team roster. We plan to continue developing our players to compete at the national level and we have the talent in the program as well as the talent coming into the program to continue the tradition of placing Nittany Lions on national teams."

Walsh on what makes Penn State's home field so special:
"I've been to virtually every stadium in the country, including women's soccer stadiums that boast that they're `the top facility.' I can tell you, there's not a surface in the country that's better then Jeffrey Field. You walk out on it, and it's a carpet. There's not a weed on the entire field. The turf management group takes great care of it. I think the condition of the surface makes the players step on there with even greater pride. If you look at their road to the final four, the three times that they went you'll find that the road went through Jeffrey Field."

Walsh on the facility improvement plans for Jeffrey Field:
"It'll be about another year until we'll have practice fields where the old baseball field is, and another few years until the soccer only building is built at the south end of the field with coaches' offices, training room, equipment room and our team room. So looking at the facility as a whole, obviously they made some great adjustments since 2004 with the new surface and new stands and the next step is to get those practice fields right over next to our game field. The final part is completing the soccer complex- all in one place, all inclusive- a place for both the men's and women's soccer players."

Walsh on PennState's support staff resources:
"I've been completely impressed with the way the student-athletes are supported here. Penn State offers a comprehensive program for all of their student-athletes which includes full time attention in the area of academic support, sports medicine, sports psychology and nutrition. There isn't one area that I look at and say, `this is a weakness for our program.'These players are treated like student-athletes with resources like pros. In each of the conversations that I have with the players, if they express needs or concerns, I'm able to point them in a direction where a professional around here can help them meet those needs."

Walsh on offseason training:
"Ichallenge anyone to find a better indoor training facility than Holuba Hall. This facility allows us to develop our players at the same rate as programs in warmer climates. It is one of the rare facilities that can accommodate a full-size match on full-size goals. The surface is state of the art field turf allowing our players to train in their cleats during the winter months when individual development is emphasized. In addition, Kirk Adams and the rest of the strength and conditioning staff create individual programs to meet each player's needs. The players at Penn State make great strides in the offseason."

Walsh on school pride:
"The atmosphere on campus is like no other University in the nation. Within minutes of being on campus you notice the only colors on students are blue and white. Echoes of We Are... Penn State can be heard from East to West Halls. It is obvious that students here are proud to be part of the bigger picture that is Penn State. We are PennState proud!"