One Day, Two Memorable Moments: Elizabeth Wagner and Kelsey Sonntag Share PSUAC History

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - They say that that lightning never strikes the same place twice, and on September 26, that saying held true. It stuck on the pitch at two different Penn State branch campuses.

It isn’t often that history is made in the same 24-hour window, but Penn State Lehigh Valley’s Elizabeth Wagner and Penn State Hazleton’s Kelsey Sonntag both recorded goals and made PSUAC history becoming the first women to score in a men’s soccer match.

Wagner, a sophomore from Brodheadsville, Pa. was the first to strike with her game kicking off at 12 p.m. as Sonntag’s was pushed back until 2 p.m. due to inclement weather.

In her team’s 7-2 victory against Penn State Beaver, Wagner found the back of the net in the 87th minute to officially become first woman in PSUAC history to score a goal in a men’s game.

Shortly after, Sonntag followed up Wagner’s goal with one of her own.

Sonntag achieved her feat in style, directing a header into the back of the net in the 63rd minute to put her team up 3-1 against Penn State Fayette, as Hazleton would go on to win by a final score of 5-1.

Sonntag, a sophomore from Bangor, Pa., didn’t even think about what she had just accomplished at first, rather how it was attained.

“I didn't even think about being the first woman to score in a men's game,” Sonntag said. “My lifelong career goal has always been to score a goal on a header, so that's what I was thinking about when I scored.”

“Now that I found out that it's a big deal because I'm girl, that's kind of cool to me because I feel like I'm representing all of the girls on the team because they all work so hard,” Sonntag said.

Wagner shared similar feelings and took a humble approach, giving credit to her teammates.

“It was incredible. It was a cool experience,” Wagner said. “But honestly, without my team […] if they didn’t work their butts off for the first 80 minutes of the game, I wouldn't even have the opportunity to get into the game to play. I know I was the last person that touched the ball before it went into the net, but without my team, that wouldn't have even been a possibility for me.”

Although Sonntag and Wagner appear to be unfazed thus far, playing on a team that’s consists of majority men does not come without its challenges.

“I would say, clearly, they’re men and they’re all bigger, taller and stronger than me so [playing with and against them does present its disadvantages]. But they’re all really encouraging and help push me and the others,” Wagner said.

“The other girls on my team are inspiring too. Like Kelsey said, knowing that there are other girls that are willing to do this also really helps me,” Wagner added.

Wagner is one of three girls on her squad, and Sonntag is one of five.

“I definitely think there are a lot of challenges. I don’t know if anyone wants to admit it, but there’s definitely some favoritism towards the guys…” Sonntag said. “I just think I should put that out there because [us girls] have worked our butts off out there, obviously proving ourselves… One of our girls is our captain, and she’s amazing, and even she finds herself in that same position.”

“[Like Elizabeth said], although the men are super encouraging, there’s still that aspect that we are female, so I think that’s hard,” Sonntag said.

Going forward, it’ll not only be a huge confidence booster for Sonntag and Wagner now knowing that they can score, but it also motivates and uplifts their entire squad, especially the other women.

“If I can score, why can’t anyone else?” Wagner said. “I think it’s not only encouraging for myself and my mentality that if I can score a goal, I can literally do whatever I want, like who’s going to stop me? But it’s also encouraging for the rest of the team, that anyone could score [at any given moment].”

Wagner’s Lehigh Valley and Sonntag’s Hazleton recently squared off in Hazleton, Pa. on Oct. 5 and Lehigh Valley came out on top 5-0.

However, that outcome won’t change the special connection that these two women will forever share, and certainly won’t erase the magical moments in their careers that they’ll never forget.

Zach Donaldson is a senior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email zsd5027@psu.edu.