Penn State women’s soccer announces 2020 team captains

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State head coach Erica Dambach announced Kerry Abello, Sam Coffey and Frankie Tagliaferri as team captains of the 2020 women’s soccer team.

All three have had impressive careers on the field and in the classroom and will provide excellent leadership in the upcoming season.

“We’ve selected three incredible student-athletes in Kerry Abello, Sam Coffey and Frankie Tagliaferri as the captains and leaders of our program. These three embody our team pillars and are outstanding representatives our program. I believe each one of these student-athletes brings their own unique leadership ability to our program and will continue to push our team forward. All three student-athletes have shown continual hard work and dedication as both leaders in the classroom and on the soccer field. Kerry, Sam and Frankie will do a phenomenal job as captains of our program!” Coach Dambach said of the captains.

Senior Kerry Abello was named CoSIDA first-team Academic All-American, second-team All-North Region and first team All-Big Ten honoree in 2019. Abello has appeared in 62 games as a Nittany Lion, including starting all 24 games in which she appeared last season. Abello netted eight goals and added three assists in 2019 for the Nittany Lions and has scored 15 goals and added eight assists during her career.

Senior Sam Coffey was named United Soccer Coaches second team Scholar All-American, first team All-North Region and a first team All-Big Ten honoree in 2019. Coffey was also named to the TopDrawerSoccer Best XI second team. Coffey appeared in all 25 games in her first season as a Nittany Lion, with 24 starts. Coffey ranked second in the Big Ten in points with 32. She was tied for second in the Big Ten with 11 goals and registered 10 assists. Prior to Penn State, Coffey was a first team All-American, ACC Midfielder of the Year and a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist at Boston College. She scored 17 goals and added 24 assists in two seasons at Boston College.

Senior Frankie Tagliaferri was named to the Big Ten All-Tournament team and a second team All-Big Ten performer in 2019. Tagliaferri was a first team All-North Region and first team All-Big Ten honoree in 2018. Tagliaferri appeared in all 25 games in 2019, making 24 starts. She scored six goals and was second in the Big Ten with 10 assists as a junior. She also tied the Big Ten record with four assists in a game in the Nittany Lions 5-1 win over Michigan State. Tagliaferri has appeared in 74 games with 48 starts during her career as a Nittany Lion.