Sept. 17, 2008
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - LAST YEAR AGAINST JMU
In the 2007 campaign the No. 20 Nittany Lions shut out James Madison with a 1-0 victory early in the season.
Scoring the only goal needed was sophomore forward Katie Schoepfer (Waterford, Conn.). Streaking into James Madison territory off a Sheree Gray pass, Schoepfer beat the keeper to a loose ball just inside the box, and knocked the ball into the left corner of the net to give Penn State the 1-0 lead at the 55:08 mark.
2008 PENN STATE VS. JAMES MADISON
After defeating No. 25 UConn, Penn State is making strides to where they want to be. However, James Madison is entering the series fresh off a 1-1 tie with No. 14 West Virginia and is looking for the momentum to carry them through their first home match after three games on the road.
The Dukes are 2-2-2 on the season. Ashley Fateland is the top scorer for JMU at three goals on the season while Corky Julien and Cate Tisinger follow at two a piece. Goalkeeper Diane Wszalek enters the match with 25 saves to date including a 1.84 goals against average and a .714 save percentage.
The Nittany Lions are entering the series 5-2 after a win over No. 25 UConn. Top scorers for Penn State are Nikki Watts (Hungerford, England), Katie Schoepfer and Danielle Toney with four goals each. All-American keeper Alyssa Naeher (Seymour, Conn.) has collected 35 saves and two shutouts. Her goals against average is 1.26 while her saves percentage is .795.
Penn State first met with James Madison in 1994. The Nittany Lions lead the series 10-3-1. The greatest of these victories came when the non-ranked PSU squad defeated No. 24 JMU 2-1 on Sept. 1, 1996.
NITTANY LIONS IN THE BIG TEN
Continuing her dominance on the field, All-American Katie Schoepfer leads the Big Ten in shots per game at 5.14. She is also tied for sixth in points per game with 1.57 while Danielle Toney is fifth at 1.86. Nikki Watts joins Schoepfer and Toney in goals and goals per game at four and 0.57 respectively. But Toney isn't just scoring the goals. She is fourth in assists and assists per game at five and 0.71. Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher currently leads the conference in saves (35) and saves per game (5.00). As a team, the Nittany Lions are third in shots (133) and sixth in shots per game (19.00). They remain in the middle for points (5th, 6.29), goals (6th, 15), goals per game (5th, 2.14), assists (5th, 14) and assists per game (5th, 2.00).
CATCH THE NITTANY LIONS ON TELEVISION THIS FALL
Check you local listings to follow the women's soccer team in at least three televised appearances this year. On Sept. 18, Penn State will be featured against James Madison in the NSCAA Fox Soccer Channel Women's Game of the Week, a broadcast which will originate from Harrisonburg, Va. The 10-time defending conference champions will also be featured in two Big Ten Network contests, meeting up with Notre Dame at home on Sept. 21 and hosting Wisconsin on Oct. 5.