Ali Krieger, Alyssa Naeher Become First Penn Staters To Win Women's World Cup

Here's a really fun thing to say over and over and over and over: for the first time ever, Penn Staters have won the Women's World Cup.

Defender Ali Krieger and goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher became Penn State's first ever WWC winners today after the United States' Women's National Team took down Japan in the finals of the tournament, 5-2. Krieger played for the Nittany Lions from 2003-06, while Naeher played from 2006-09. The two had excellent careers at Penn State, as Krieger was a two-time All-American and a Hermann Trophy finalist, while Naeher started every game that she played in for the Blue and White.

THEY'VE DONE IT! The #USWNT wins 5-2, and @AliKrieger and @AlyssaNaeher are Penn State's first World Cup Champions! pic.twitter.com/xmOBEEVuwn

— Onward State (@OnwardState) July 6, 2015

While Naeher didn't step onto the field – being the backup to the best player at her position on the planet does have its drawbacks, but there's a pretty good chance she starts in 2019, so there's that – Krieger started and went 90 minutes in every match. On a roster full of players who played really well, there aren't many women who played better from the start of the tournament to the final whistle than Krieger. The Mothership actually put out a really good piece today that explained the importance of Krieger during the tournament (it also mentions the team's other outside back, Meghan Klingenberg, whose brother is currently a midfielder for Penn State's men's team).

We're not sure if these two will be on the USWNT's roster when the squad plays its two friendlies in August on the 16th in Pittsburgh and the 19th in Chattanooga, but you should go to the matches, and if they're there, get them in on a big ol' We Are Penn State chant.

Congrats, Ali and Alyssa! And of course, congrats to the US Women's National Team!