Sept. 22, 2009
Game Notes • • Twitter Feed
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women's soccer team will take on Bucknell at Emmitt Field on Wednesday night. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. The Nittany Lions (4-4) are 13-0-0 all-time against the Bison (4-5). Fans can follow the action on GameTracker and Twitter (@PSUWomensSoccer).
Penn State Nittany Lions
(4-4-0; 0-0-0 Big Ten)
at
Bucknell Bison
(4-5-0; 0-0-0 Patriot)
Game #9: September 23, 2009 - 7:00 p.m. - Emmitt Field - Lewisburg, Pa.
GAME DAY
VENUE (CAPACITY): Emmitt Field at Holmes Stadium (1,200)
SURFACE: Grass
AUDIO/VIDEO STREAMING: None
TALENT: n/a
SERIES RECORD VS. BUCK: Penn State leads, 13-0-0
LAST MEETING: 9/7/08, PSU 4-2 (University Park, Pa.)
NEXT GAME: 9/27 at Michigan State, Noon on Big Ten Network
GAME STORIES
- The Lions and Bison renew Penn State's most-played Pennslyvania rivalry
- Penn State will try to extend an 18-game winning streak over Pa. foes; PSU has not lost a game to a Pa. team in over 12 years (9/14/97 vs. Villanova)
- PSU looks to string three wins together for the first time in 2009
- Penn State visits Lewisburg for just the fourth time ever
- Emma Thomson had the game-winner and Christine Nairn scored the insurance goal, adding an assist vs. James Madison (9/20)
- Penn State has a shutout streak of 224 minutes; Alyssa Naeher is at 219
GAME NOTES
LASTTIMEOUT:Penn State (4-4) controlled the proceedings from beginning to end, dumping James Madison (4-4), 2-0. Buoyed by a 12th-minute goal from Emma Thomson and an insurance tally by Christine Nairn, the Nittany Lions rolled to their second straight win. Nairn's heads up free kick, which she drew moments earlier, found Thomson all alone at the top of the penalty area and the English international drained the right-footed shot. Nairn blasted a shot from 20 yards out, using a deft touch to give PSU a two-goal advantage just 90 seconds into the second half. Alyssa Naeher made four saves to preserve the clean sheet. Naeher has a 0.51 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage in the last four games, conceding just two goals in 355 minutes of play.
SCOUTINGTHEBISON: Bucknell hosts Penn State for just the fourth time ever. The Bison are the most-played Pennsylvania rival for Penn State, but have never beaten or tied the Nittany Lions. Bucknell sits at 4-5 after back-to-back losses to Marist (3-2) and VCU (3-0) at home. Nine different goal scorers tell the tale of a balanced attack that struggled to score on Sunday vs. VCU. The Bison have a split goalie situation where Colleen Garrehy (2-2, 1.41 GAA, .824 sv. percentage) is statistically better than Kathryn Sutton (2-3, 1.91 GAA, .640 sv. percentage), but Sutton has seen more time in net, starting five games to Garrehy's four. Last year, Bucknell dropped a 4-2 loss at Jeffrey Field for the 12th consecutive defeat to Penn State.
UCONNCLASSIC:The then-No. 24/23 Penn State offense exploded for three goals over unranked Boston University to snap a three-game losing streak. The 3-0 win also broke a 220-minute goalless streak, the longest since a nearly 400-minute drought in 1995. Danielle Toney supplied the firepower with two goals and Maddy Evans notched her first collegiate tally. Nikki Watts added two assists, while Katie Schoepfer and Christine Nairn tallied each tallied a helper. Alyssa Naeher made five saves to hold the Terriers at bay in the first half.
THREELOSSESINAROW: The Nittany Lions dropped a tough 1-0 loss to No. 8 Wake Forest when Jill Hutchinson scored in the 42nd minute. Alyssa Naeher kept Penn State in the game with six saves. Penn State dropped its two games the weekend before at Florida State (2-1) and Rutgers (1-0) at home. The Nittany Lions were led by Alyssa Naeher who made eight saves in the two games. Danielle Toney scored the lone goal vs. Florida State, assists were made by Katie Schoepfer and Christine Nairn.
LOSING STREAK OVER: The Nittany Lions went on a three-game losing streak for the first time since the 1995 team lost four-in-a-row. It was the farthest into the season Penn State has been below .500 since 2006 when the Nittany Lions started 1-2-2. A win over Bucknell will put PSU over .500 for the first time in September.
BACK-TO-BACK SHUTOUTS: Penn State was blanked by Rutgers, 1-0, on Sept. 6. It was the first time PSU was shutout since a 1-0 loss to Ohio State on Oct. 31, 2008. The shutout breaks a streak of eight-straight games with a goal. The 1-0 loss to Wake Forest extended the goalless streak to 190 minutes for Penn State. It was the first time the Nittany Lions suffered back-to-back shutouts since 1999 when PSU lost to Florida, 1-0, and tied Michigan, 0-0.
TONEY SCORES, PSUWINS: Danielle Toney accounted for the last four game-winning goals before the UConn game. Penn State is 17-2-1 (.875) all-time when Toney records a goal, but just 21-14-1 (.597) when she doesn't.
TOUGHSCHEDULE: 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.
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.
SCHOEPFERHASCLASS: Katie Schoepfer was named as a Lowe's Senior CLASS Award Candidate in August. The list, which features 30 women's soccer student-athletes, will be whittled down to 10 midway through the season. Those names will be put on the official ballot fans can vote on, the CLASS Award winner will be announced during the NCAA College Cup in December. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
NEXTTIMEOUT: A road trip to East Lansing, Mich. kicks off the Big Ten slate at Michigan State (Sept. 27) on the Big Ten Network. Game time is slated for noon as the game will be broadcast live.
NEXTHOMESTAND: Penn State will host three Big Ten matches in a row after the Michigan State game. Ohio State (Oct. 4) will visit Jeffrey at 1:00 p.m. followed by games against Northwestern (Oct. 9) at 7:00 p.m. and Iowa (Oct. 11) at 11:00 a.m. All matches will be broadcast live on Penn State All-Access.
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--NITTANY LIONS--