Aug. 20, 2009
Watch Live • Game Notes
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.--The 2009 women's soccer season is here and the 12th-ranked Nittany Lions will face off against No. 9 Virginia on Friday night at Jeffrey Field. Friday is a CODE BLUE event will coincide with the overall theme of the evening dubbed "Be Loud, Be Proud, The Largest Crowd," which is attempting to stir up all the Penn State soccer fans to join the team to beat the Cavaliers with the largest crowd in Jeffrey Field history. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m.
Penn State, which went 16-8 last season and earned its 14th-straight NCAA berth, will attempt to win its 12th-straight Big Ten title and make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. Virginia, a third-round NCAA squad from last year, went 15-5-3 in 2008, but is 1-4 against the Nittany Lions all-time.
The Penn State women's soccer team received positive preseason reviews from Soccer America on Wednesday as the team was ranked sixth in the nation and Alyssa Naeher garnered First Team All-America billing. The Nittany Lions were tabbed No. 12 in the NSCAA rankings released last week.
Naeher was the lone Nittany Lion listed on either of the All-American teams by Soccer America. Earning preseason First Team honors, Soccer America presents Naeher as the top goalkeeper in the nation. Naeher has been a First Team All-American the past two seasons.
#9 Virginia Cavaliers
(0-0-0; 0-0-0 ACC)
at
#12 Penn State Nittany Lions
(0-0-0; 0-0-0 Big Ten)
Game #1: August 21, 2009 • Jeffrey Field • University Park, Pa.
GAME DAY
VENUE (CAPACITY): Jeffrey Field (5,000)
SURFACE: Grass
AUDIO/VIDEO STREAMING: GoPSUsports.com Webcast
TALENT: Greg Boyce (pxp), Tom Ferguson (color)
SERIES RECORD VS. UVA: Penn State leads, 4-1
LAST MEETING: 9/4/05; Penn State, 5-2
NEXT GAME: August 29 vs. #14 West Virginia, 7:30 p.m.
GAME STORIES
• Nine starters return from a year ago, including First Team All-American and FIFA U-20 World Cup winner Alyssa Naeher.
• Returning All-Big Ten selections from a year ago are Meghan Gill (2nd), Alyssa Naeher (1st), Katie Schoepfer (1st), Emma Thomson (Frosh) and Danielle Toney (Big Ten Tourney Offensive MVP).
• The Lions had a nearly perfect spring season, going 7-0-1.
• Three Nittany Lions were named to the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy List on Tuesday: Alyssa Naeher, Katie Schoepfer and Christine Nairn.
• Penn State is tabbed the Big Ten favorites and ranked No. 12 by the NSCAA; No. 6 in the Soccer America poll.
SERIES HISTORY
All-Time Series: PSU leads 4-1-0
PSU Streak: 4 wins
First Meeting: 9/5/97, UVA 5-2
Last Meeting: 9/4/05, PSU 5-2
Last PSU Win: 9/4/05, 5-2
Last UVA Win: 9/5/97, 5-2
Largest PSU Win: 5-2 (`05), 3-0 (`02), 4-1 (`99)
Largest UVA Win: 5-2, 9/5/97
PSU Record at Jeffrey: 3-1-0
Walsh vs. UVA: First Meeting
Penn State has twice beaten the Cavaliers when Virginia has been ranked sixth or higher: 5-2 when UVA was No. 4 in 2005 at Penn State, while the Cavs were No. 6 in 1998 when upended 2-1 in Charlottesville...Virginia was ranked No. 12 in 1999...The Cavs were also ranked No. 23 in 2002 when the teams met in the third round of the NCAA tournament...This is the first time the two teams have met in August.
Last Five Meetings
| Date | Result | Score | OT | Site |
| 9/4/05 | W | 5-2 | H | |
| 11/24/02 | W | 3-0 | H | |
| 10/29/99 | W | 4-1 | H | |
| 9/8/98 | W | 2-1 | 2OT | A |
| 9/5/97 | L | 2-5 | H |
GAME NOTES
HOME OPENER: Penn State welcomes the No. 9 Virginia Cavaliers into Jeffrey Field for the opening game of the year. The last time the Nittany Lions played Virginia, they beat the Cavaliers 5-2 at home in 2005.
FOUR STRAIGHT: Penn State has won four straight games against Virginia, including the last three at home. The Lions won by three-goal margins the last three times. Virginia was ranked No. 4 in 2005 and No. 6 in 1998.
HOME OPENERS: Penn State is a remarkable 13-2-0 in home openers in program history. Last year's 4-1 loss to Florida State snapped a 13-game run dating back to a 2-1 overtime loss to Cornell in the team's inaugural season in 1994. The Nittany Lions are 10-5 all-time in season openers. Aside from a 4-1 loss in 1994 to James Madison, Penn State's four losses were all 2-1 defeats, while the Lions have averaged 3.3 goals per game in the 10 wins.
SCOUTING THE CAVALIERS: Virginia went 1-0-1 in preseason play, drawing 3-3 with Notre Dame and a 5-1 drubbing of Georgetown. Down 3-0 to the No. 3 Fightin' Irish, the Cavs scored three goals to rally for the tie in the last 22 minutes. All three goals were scored by newcomers Kiley Naylor and Caroline Miller. In the win over Georgetown, Meghan Lenczyk scored a hat trick in the first half. Lauren Alwine and Kate Norbo added tallies in the second half before allowing a Hoya goal in the extra frame of the 110-minute affair. Virginia's lone Hermann Trophy candidate is junior midfielder Sinead Farrelly, a First Team All-ACC and Soccer Buzz Third Team All-American in 2008.
DECORATED LEADER: As if being a two-time First Team All-American and U-20 World Cup Champion wasn't enough, Alyssa Naeher added the title "captain" to her résumé. Naeher will serve as the team's lone captain during the 2009 campaign. Naeher was named the Golden Glove winner at the World Cup in Chile, leading the Americans to the championship.
FILLING UP THE NET: Penn State and Virginia have combined for 25 goals in their five appearances. PSU alone has scored an average of 3.2 goals per game as opposed to 1.6 goals scored for Virginia.
ALL-BIG TEN RETURNERS: Penn State boasts a core group of returning All-Big Ten recipients from a year ago. Alyssa Naeher earned First Team accolades along with Katie Schoepfer. Meghan Gill was a Second Team honoree, while Emma Thomson returns as an All-Freshman mention. Danielle Toney came on late in the season in 2008, earning the Offensive MVP of the Big Ten Tournament.  Naeher was the Defensive MVP.
STELLAR SPRING: The PSU women's soccer team didn't slack off this spring going 7-0-1 in exhibition matches stateside. Of the eight games, four were against 2009 opponents. Penn State defeated West Virginia (3-1), Virginia (2-0) and Rutgers (1-0), while tying Bucknell (1-1). Other matches included wins over Villanova (2-0), Penn (2-0), Maryland (4-0) and Messiah (3-0).
RULING THE ROOST: The Big Ten coaches' preseason predictions were released on Wednesday and Penn State was tabbed to claim its 12th-straight Big Ten title. Michigan State was No. 2 and Illinois No. 3.
MONTHLY WINS: Penn State has played just 17 games in the month of August during the team's 15-year history. The Lions are 10-6-1 all-time in August, five of those 10 wins have come since 2005. Penn State has three games on its schedule this month.
| Month | Record | Pct. |
| September | 102-19-12 | .850 |
| October | 113-20-3 | .801 |
| November | 53-19-4 | .724 |
| December | 0-1-1 | .250 |
LIONS BACK IN THE RANKINGS: After falling out of the final rankings for the first time since 1994, Penn State was tabbed 12th in the NSCAA Preseason Coaches' Poll on August 12.
OS LEÕES DE NITTANY EM BRASIL: At the end of May, the Penn State squad embarked on a two-week trip to Brazil. All but four members of the squad, including recent graduates, made the trip the South American country known for its soccer. The Nittany Lions participated in three full-field exhibitions, a fustal tournament as well as a beach soccer tournament. The squad also got to venture about the country and see the sights and sounds of Brazil in the cities of São Paolo and Rio De Janeiro.
FIRST GOAL: Nine new freshmen join the Nittany Lion roster, many of whom are accomplished players above and beyond the high school level. One such newcomer, Christine Nairn, scored her first goal at the top international level with the U.S. National Senior Team in July. The freshman scored the lone goal in a 1-0 friendly win over Canada on July 22 in Charleston, S.C. It was Nairn's second cap with the full team.
GOLDEN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: Two Nittany Lions, sophomore Krissy Tribbett and freshman Maddy Evans, won the U.S. Youth Championships with their respective club teams this summer. Tribbett's Colorado Nike Rush squad won the U-19 division, capturing its second consecutive title in double overtime. Evans' team, the FC Bucks Vipers, won the U-18 division, 1-0, on Evans' game-winner in the 52nd minute. In total, the freshman midfielder scored five goals at Nationals, earning the Golden Boot Award for the U-18s.
TROPHY CANDIDATES: Alyssa Naeher, Christine Nairn and Katie Schoepfer were named to the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy watch list on August 11. The trio represent the second straight time the Nittany Lions see three of their own on the preseason list.
PACK THE JEFF: Penn State athletics is organizing its biggest soccer promotion in history as the efforts to fill Jeffrey Field for the season opener have begun. The goal is to have fans be a part of the largest crowd in stadium history, which would mean having more than 3,208 spectators present, the record set in a 2006 match against UCLA.
TOUGH SCHEDULE: The Nittany Lions will tackle 10 NCAA Tournament opponents from a year ago. In all, eight teams ranked in last year's final NSCAA poll are on the Lions' schedule. Five of those teams will visit Jeffrey Field, while one more, Brigham Young, will be in University Park for the Penn State Invitational, but won't play the Nittany Lions.
| Team | Site | Date | '08 | '09 | NCAAs |
| Virginia | H | 8/23 | #12 | #9 | 3rd |
| West Virginia | H | 8/31 | #14 | #14 | 2nd |
| Florida State | A | 9/4 | #6 | #6 | Quarters |
| Rutgers | H | 9/6 | #21 | #20 | 3rd |
| Wake Forest | N | 9/11 | #25 | RV | 2nd |
| Boston U. | N | 9/13 | - | - | 1st |
| James Madison | H | 9/20 | #T19 | RV | 3rd |
| Michigan State | A | 9/27 | - | - | 3rd |
| Minnesota | A | 10/16 | #15 | #19 | 3rd |
| Illinois | H | 10/25 | - | #17 | 3rd |
PENN STATE INVITATIONAL: The Lions will host three teams for the annual Penn State Invitational, taking on West Virginia on Saturday, August 29.  A nemesis of Penn State's, the Mountaineers hold a three-game winning streak over the Nittany Lions all by one goal apiece. That game is set for 7:30 p.m. at Jeffrey Field.  The opening match of the tournament sees Brigham Young, ranked No. 19 in last year's final NSCAA poll, take on UConn at 5:00 p.m. On Monday, August 31, BYU and West Virginia play at noon, while UConn plays Penn State at 2:30 p.m.