LONG BEACH, Calif. – Redshirt junior forward Kaitlyn MacBean landed TopDrawerSoccer National Player of the Week accolades, while senior+ forward Payton Linnehan earned a spot on the Honorable Mention National Team of the Week following the organization's announcement Tuesday.
A native of Excelsior, Minnesota, MacBean was a force to be reckoned with for the Blue & White a week ago. In the six Nittany Lion goals scored last week, MacBean either scored or assisted on five, booking a goal and an assist in the 2-0 win over Santa Clara followed by a brace and additional assist against Saint Louis in the thrilling 4-3 overtime win that propelled Penn State to the national quarterfinals. The rising star on Penn State's campus is now tied with Linnehan for the team's scoring lead with 24 points, contributing nine goals and six assists through this point in the 2023 campaign.
One of PSU's most powerful attacking options hauled in her second TopDrawerSoccer National Team of the Week accolade this season, joining a prior appearance on Aug. 28 after notching a pair of match-winning goals over West Virginia and TCU. MacBean's outstanding effort over the past two matches ensured that she would pick up the first National Player of the Week laurel for any PSU women's soccer player this year. In addition to her commendation from TopDrawerSoccer this week, MacBean also brought in Third Team All-Big Ten recognition at the conclusion of the regular season, further contributing to an impressive trophy case for the fourth-year Nittany Lion.
Meanwhile, Linnehan hauled in her second consecutive recognition from TopDrawerSoccer, with her honorable mention accolades this week joining a National Team of the Week appearance seven days ago. Linnehan poured in two goals and an assist last week, highlighted by the match-winning goal in the 98th minute against Saint Louis that sent Penn State to its first national quarterfinal since 2018. Linnehan currently stands as the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship scoring leader, notching five goals and an assist since tournament play began against Central Connecticut State on Nov. 10.
Penn State returns to action this Saturday, Nov. 25, as the fifth-ranked and second-seeded Nittany Lions square off against the seventh-ranked and top-seeded Clemson Tigers in the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship quarterfinals. PSU hits the road to visit Riggs Field on the campus of Clemson University, with kickoff slated for 1 p.m. (ET). The match will stream live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via ESPN+.
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The 30th Season of Penn State women's soccer is presented by the Smeal College of Business.
