UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Being a goalie at one of the biggest schools in the country isn't easy, let alone starting on day one of freshman year. For Taylor Suplee, she has been that rock in net since day one in Happy Valley.
Following an impressive freshman campaign that saw her selected to the Big Ten All-Tournament team, Suplee is picking up right where she left off early in 2020. Through three games, Suplee is 3-0 with a save percentage just under .600 and is allowing less than nine goals per game.
The Lothian, Maryland native also secured the Big Ten's Defensive Player of the Week honor following Penn State's 12-9 season-opening win over Towson two weeks ago. She followed that up with stellar performances over Lehigh and Duquesne this past week.
While Suplee has been impressive in net, she is quick to deflect the recognition to her teammates.
"The key has been my defense," Suplee said. "They're really pushing the girls out and giving me pretty low-angle shots to save."
This weekend, Penn State faces another tough test as the Nittany Lions match up with Cornell on Sunday. Suplee understands that Penn State must go into that game with the same mindset they had the first two weekends.
"We all had really good attitudes," Suplee said. "We came into the game really excited to play as a unit."
Penn State head coach Missy Doherty has been impressed with Suplee since the day she first stepped onto campus. Doherty says that Suplee's versatility was one of the things that stood out to her in the recruiting process.
The early part of the season can be difficult for most teams as they continue to adjust. Doherty says Penn State has played a bit individually as they continue to get familiar with one another. Having Suplee in net has been a steady presence as the Nittany Lions continue to figure everything out.
"She's been awesome," Doherty said. "We are trying to figure out a lot of things offensively and we're still coming together defensively, so she's really given us some huge momentum saves while we sort out some of these other areas."
Standing at 5-foot-10, Suplee is one of the taller goaltenders in the Big Ten. With that being said, it can be harder for those goalies to make all the saves, but for Suplee that seems to not be an issue.
"She's good at making low saves, high saves and covers all the basis," Doherty said.
It's not always easy for younger players to make that adjustment to the college game. There will be struggles mentally as players try to adjust and Suplee says her teammates and coaches have been tremendous in helping her through those struggles and into becoming the best player she can be.
One of the things that stands out about Suplee is she always puts the team first. As many individual accolades she collects, Suplee won't be satisfied unless she can help her team win games. For this season, Suplee and her teammates have their sights set high.
"We want to make it into the Big Ten tournament again," Suplee said. "I hope to go far and maybe get a ring or two and also play together as a unit and do the best that we can."
While only a sophomore, Suplee has her eyes set on the legacy she wants to leave at Penn State when she graduates. She has some large goals and if the first two years have shown anything, Suplee will have no problem reaching them.
"I want to be known as a great teammate," Suplee said. "That is really important to me and to be a captain."
