Sept. 25, 2007
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Sept. 26, 2007 < 5:00="" p.m.="">
No. 13 Penn State (5-2-1) vs. Colgate (5-3-1)
Live Stats & Webcast: GoPSUsports.com
University Park, Pa. < jeffrey="">
COLGATE AND ILLINOIS AT HOME... The women's soccer team meets Colgate on Wednesday, Sept. 26 as part of a men's/women's doubleheader at Jeffrey Field. The women's team hosts Colgate (5-3-1) at 5 p.m. before the men's team tangles with Penn immediately following. Both games will be carried live via webcast on GoPSUsports.com with play-by-play by Loren Crispell and color commentary by PSU men's soccer alum David Gray. On Sunday, Penn State kicks off its conference title defense live on the Big Ten Network vs. 2006 runner-up Illinois (5-2). Gametime is 3 p.m. ET.
NEXT UP... Penn State hits the road for a Big Ten double-dip at Wisconsin and Northwestern. The Nittany Lions meet the Badgers and former head coach Paula Wilkins on Friday, Oct. 6, at 7 p.m. before taking on the Northwestern Wildcats on Sunday at noon. The Nittany Lions return home in two weekends vs. Michigan State (7 p.m., Oct. 14) and Michigan (noon, Oct. 16).
SERIES HISTORY VS. COLGATE... Penn State has played Colgate only once in the all-time series between the two teams. PSU last met lthe Radiers in 1995 when Penn State beat Colgate 2-1 at the Cornell Classic held in Ithaca, N.Y.
LAST WEEK RECAP: NITTANY LIONS BEAT BUCKNELL, NO. 21 NOTRE DAME ON THE ROAD... After defeating Bucknell in a 5-1 offensive onslaught during its mid-week game, Penn State got its first victory in the series with Notre Dame last Sunday, beating the Fighting Irish 2-1 in South Bend. The win was the second over a ranked team this year, with both wins coming on the road.
THE NEW JEFFREY STREAK... Penn State has played historically well at Jeffrey Field, and the Nittany Lions have started a new streak going 14-0-1 in their last 15 games on their home field. PSU has gone underfeated since a 2-1 loss to West Virginia on Sept. 8, 2006. The Nittany Lions' record for consecutive wins is 39 stretching from Sept. 17, 2001-Nov. 12, 2004.
GOALKEEPER Alyssa Naeher PICKS UP MULTIPLE HONORS... Sophomore Alyssa Naeher (Seymour, Conn.) has been named this week's Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, picking up the sophomore the first Big Ten weekly honor of her career. The Connecticut-native was also named to Soccer America's Team of the Week and earned Penn State Female Student-Athlete of the Week. Naeher was the key to the No. 17 Nittany Lions' first undefeated week this year. The preseason All-American turned in another pair of outstanding performances, including weathering 24 shots vs. 2006 national runner-up Notre Dame in the Nittany Lions' 2-1 victory.
PENN STATE HAS OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION VS. BUCKNELL... It took the Nittany Lions a full half to get warmed-up, but after the halftime break the offense was relentless vs. Bucknell last Wednesday, pouring on five goals in the final 45 minutes. The five goals marked the first game with five or more goals for the Nittany Lions since their 5-2 victory over West Virginia on Nov. 13 during the 2005 NCAA Tournament. The last time PSU won by at least five goals was also during the 2005 NCAA Tournament, beating Bucknell 6-0 in the opening round on Nov. 11.
INDIVIDUALS HAVE NOTEWORTHY OUTINGS VS. BU... Senior tri-captain Aubrey Aden-Buie's (Allentown, Pa.) got her two goals late last Wednesday, including one at the 89:59 mark, and was one of three Nittany Lions to score three or more points in the 5-1 win over Bucknell. Redshirt-sophomore Ashley Myers (Bel Air, Md.) scored the team's first goal, also her first of the season, and assisted the second goal, which was the eventual gamewinner. Sophomore transfer Melissa Hayes (Cave Creek, Ariz.) scored her first points as a Nittany Lion, tallying three assists on the evening.
ADEN-BUIE NOMINATED FOR LOWE'S SENIOR CLASS AWARD... Senior tri-captain Aubrey Aden-Buie, a standout on the Penn State women's soccer team, has been selected as one of 20 candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the award was designed to honor the attributes of seniors who remain committed to their university and elect to pursue the many rewards that a senior season can bring.
SCHOEPFER GARNERS NATIONAL, CONFERENCE AND UNIVERSITY HONORS... After the game-winning goal vs. JMU and the game-tying conversion vs. No. 5 Texas A&M on Sept. 14 and 16, sophomore forward Katie Schoepfer (Waterford, Conn.) earned Soccer America National Team of the Week, Soccer Buzz Elite Team of the Week Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week and Penn State Female Student-Athlete of the Week.
SOPHOMORE'S GOAL VS. TEXAS A&M NAMED "GOAL OF THE WEEK"... Katie Schoepfer's game-tying goal vs. Texas A&M not only helped boost her to conference and national honors, but also was named the "Goal of the Week" by Phlliy Soccer News.com. The goal helped the Nittany Lions to a tie vs. then-No. 5 Texas A&M in the last five minutes of regulation.
MATCH WITH ILLINOIS WILL BE SIXTH OF SEASON VS. A RANKED TEAM... After a 2-1 loss at No. 24 Tennessee, a 1-0 win in Storrs vs. UCONN and a 1-0 loss in Morgantown to the Mountaineers, Penn State ended its game on Sept. 16 vs. No. 5 Texas A&M in a 1-1 tie, putting its record vs. ranked teams this year at 1-2-1. A win at then-No. 21 Notre Dame on Sunday brought the crew to 2-2-1 vs. ranked opponents, including two road wins against Top 25 teams. The game vs. Illinois on Sunday will mark the sixth game in 10 outtings vs. a team that is ranked or receving votes in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Poll (NSCAA).
SCHOEPFER'S SCORING STRING... Striker Katie Schoepfer (Waterford, Conn.) added an assist at Notre Dame on Penn State's first goal, marking the fourth straight games that the sophomore has been involved in either the game-winning or game-tying goal. After going scoreless through the first four games this year, Schoepfer netted the game-winner vs. previously unbeaten James Madison on Sept. 14 before getting the game-tying goal in the last five minutes of Penn State's 1-1 tie vs. No. 5 Texas A&M on Sept. 16. Last Wednesday, Schoepfer made it three straight games with the goal of consequence, netting the game-winner off an assist from Ashley Myers early in the second half. Her assist at Notre Dame extended the scoring streak to four games.
WEEK-LONG SWEEP MOVES NITTANY LIONS UP AGAIN IN THE POLLS... A pair of wins at Bucknell and then-No. 21 Notre Dame moved Penn State back up several spots in each of the polls, including a four-spot jump from No. 17 to No. 13 in the NSCAA poll. The Nittany Lions experienced the biggest jump in the Soccer America poll, where the team went from No. 19 to No. 11, an eight-spot leap. Soccer Buzz moved PSU from No. 14 to No. 13 and SoccerTimes put the Nittany Lions at No. 13 from No. 17.