Norwin grad Riley Morningstar becomes a reliable presence in goal for Penn State Behrend women's soccer

There might not be a moment in sports that creates more tension than a keeper facing a penalty kick.

The odds are greatly stacked against the keeper. Data suggests only about 15% to 20% of penalty kicks are saved.

Now ramp up the pressure: facing penalty kicks in a shootout with a conference championship on the line. That is the unenviable position Norwin grad Riley Morningstar was in last fall as her Penn State Behrend team faced Pitt-Greensburg for the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference women’s soccer championship.

Morningstar had to make only two saves during regulation and overtime in the 0-0 affair. She equaled that number of saves in the shootout, stopping two of the three shots to help Behrend — which converted all three of its PKs — win the title and advance to the NCAA Tournament.

“Honestly, pure reaction,” Morningstar said when asked about the PK saves. “In that circumstance, you’re feeling all the emotions. You’re really going through it, so I just go with my gut and just go with it. And it just happened to be right.”

That performance represented the crowning achievement of her breakout season. After playing in only four matches during her freshman season while biding her time behind then-senior Morgan Harding, Morningstar assumed the starter’s role last fall and rose to the occasion.

In 18 regular-season starts, she posted seven shutouts, a save percentage of .790 and a goals-against average of 0.95. In AMCC play, she was even better, with a save percentage of .889 and a scant 0.15 goals-against average.

She posted shutouts in both AMCC Tournament games.

“We always thought she could be what she is,” 19th-year coach Patrick O’Driscoll said. “A really good goalie, they will make all the routine saves, and, every once in a while, they will make a save they shouldn’t make or make you kind of say, ‘Wow!’

“… They can keep you in the game just by making a good save but also by having good presence, good organization. And I kind of feel like that’s what we have in her.”

Morningstar has picked up right where she left off. Through Behrend’s first six matches, she posted four shutouts with a 0.50 goals-against average and .842 save percentage. One of those shutouts came in a 1-0 victory over then-No. 8 John Carroll.

The victory helped PSB (5-1) crack the United Soccer Coaches Top 25, earning the Lions the No. 25 spot in the Sept. 10 poll.

Perhaps fittingly, Morningstar had what O’Driscoll called a “huge save” with about eight minutes left in the match to preserve the shutout and the victory. It was one of her three saves in the match.

“For me, definitely the pressure was on,” Morningstar said. “But my defense did a good job. I barely even touched the ball, if I’m going to be honest. With the save (late in the game), it was just kind of there, and my reaction was just right on.”

The defense is just one of the factors Morningstar credits for her success.

She has a solid group in front of her — all back from last season — that includes junior Devyn Bailey, sophomore Bridget McMaster and senior Nicole Croushore, a Yough grad who was named the AMCC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.

Morningstar said she has developed a strong rapport with her defenders on and off the field. Their close bond, she said, enables her to speak freely with them about possible strategies and changes during matches.

“We’re definitely growing as a group together for sure,” she said. “If there’s some things I want to tweak … at halftime if there’s something more significant that I think we could do better on, I will just have little one-on-ones with them and make sure everyone knows what’s going on.”

Added O’Driscoll: “I think she’s more confident. She’s always been vocal, but she’s much more comfortable with that part of her game.”

Behrend assistant coach Kodie Johnson also has been instrumental in Morningstar’s improvement. A keeper at Ottawa (Kan.) University, Johnson helped the Braves reach the NAIA round of 16 twice, and she works one-on-one with Morningstar on techniques such as footwork and ball-handling.

Morningstar also owes some of her success to an unusual pregame ritual she said was suggested by her father, Derek. He said she should try bouncing a tennis ball off the wall before matches as a warmup.

“My dad always pushes me to try new things, and I love it,” she said. “It gets my hands and my eyes and my brain working before the game.”

Everything seems to be working for Morningstar, and the Lions will need her at her best if they are to defend their AMCC title and return to the NCAA Tournament. Perhaps not surprisingly, PSB was picked to win the conference in the preseason coaches’ poll, and with that, along with last season’s success, comes pressure to live up to the expectations.

But Morningstar said she and he teammates aren’t allowing themselves to be caught up in any of the outside noise. It’s a seasoned group that, for the most part, has a lot of experience playing together.

And when the action does get tense, the Lions know they have a solid last line of defense in the net. Those are the moments Morningstar said she lives for.

“I still get the jitters every game,” she said. “I love the feeling of the anticipation, of not knowing what’s going to happen. Not that it all relies on me, but, at some points, it kinda does.”