Sept. 25, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women's soccer team will travel to Michigan State for the teams' Big Ten opener on Sunday at DeMartin Soccer Complex. Game time is set for Noon and the game will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network. The Nittany Lions (4-4-1) are 14-3-0 all-time against the Spartans (6-0-2). Fans can follow the action on GameTracker and Twitter (@PSUWomensSoccer).
Penn State Nittany Lions
(4-4-1; 0-0-0 Big Ten)
at
Michigan State Spartans
(6-0-2; 0-0-0 Big Ten)
Game #10: September 27, 2009 - Noon - DeMartin Complex - East Lansing, Mich.
GAME DAY
VENUE (CAPACITY): DeMartin Soccer Complex (2,500)
SURFACE: Grass
TELEVISON COVERAGE: Big Ten Network
TALENT: Ari Wolfe (pxp), Lisa Grubb, Holly Neiderkohr
SERIES RECORD VS. MSU: Penn State leads, 14-3-0
LAST MEETING: 11/7/08, PSU 1-0 (Iowa City, Iowa)
NEXT GAME: 10/4 vs. Ohio State (Pink Day), 1:00 p.m.
GAME STORIES
- The Lions and Spartans kick off confernce play with nationally-televised broadcast on the Big Ten Network in East Lansing, Mich.
- PSU will try to win its 15th match in 16 tries against Michigan State
- Penn State holds a 6-3 all-time record in East Lansing, Mich.
- PSU has a shutout streak of 339 minutes; Alyssa Naeher is at 334
- The Nittany Lions look to bounce back after a disappointing 0-0 double-overtime tie with Bucknell on Wednesday
- Michigan State is without leading scorer Lauren Hill due to red-card suspension
GAME STORIES
LAST TIME OUT: Penn State (4-4-1) ran into a formidible goalkeeper Bucknell's Kathryn Sutton, who made a career-high 11 saves to notch a school-record 13th shutout in a 0-0 double-overtime tie on Wednesday at Emmitt Field. It wasn't for a lack fo trying, as the Nittany Lions out-shot Bucknell, 30-10 (11-5 on goal), including 10-1 in the two overtimes. Alyssa Naeher (five saves) stood tall in the opposite net, making two notable saves in the first half to keep the Bison off the board. It was the first 0-0 tie since Oct. 8, 2006 at Indiana.
NAEHER STATS: Alyssa Naeher has a 0.39 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage in the last five games, conceding just two goals in 465 minutes of play. Naeher has been a part of three-straight shutouts during that span. For the year, Naeher is having another All-America-caliber year with a 0.87 GAA, .826 save percentage with three shutouts against the fourth-toughest schedule in the country.
SCOUTING SPARTY: Michigan State (6-0-2) enters Sunday's game a bit of an unknown entity, only being tested a couple of times in 2009. Notable results for the Spartans include a pair of 1-1 ties at UC-Santa Barbara and Eastern Michigan. Michigan State will be without its leading scorer, Lauren Hill (8G, 3A), who is suspended after picking up two yellow cards against EMU Sept. 20. MSU will look to reigning Big Ten Offensive Player and Freshman of the Year Lauren Heyboer (6G, 3A) to pick up the slack for a team that has out-scored its opponents, 20-3. In the back, Jill Flietstra has started all eight games with a 0.36 goals-against average wtih 25 saves (.893 sv. percentage).
SERIES HISTORY: Last year, Penn State and Michigan State split their season series at one apiece. The Nittany Lions won their game when it mattered most: in the Big Ten Tournament Semifinals, 1-0, behind a Danielle Toney goal. The Spartans notched a 3-1 victory at DeMartin, snapping a 13-game losing streak to Penn State dating back to 1995. The Lions have out-scored Michigan State 31-12 all-time (14-8 on the road) and held a five-game shutout streak of the Spartans in East Lansing, a span over 12 years. PSU is 6-3 all-time at Michigan State having won six of the last seven matches there.
JMU WIN: Penn State controlled the proceedings from beginning to end, dumping James Madison, 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. Alyssa Naeher made four saves to preserve the clean sheet.
UCONN CLASSIC: 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.
THREE LOSSES IN A ROW: 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.
UCONN COMEBACK: Penn State needed a little late-game magic to pull off its second win of the year over UConn, 3-2, on August 31. The Huskies maintained a 2-1 lead through 75 minutes, despite being out-shot, 30-6. Nikki Watts keyed the comeback win with a goal and an assist and Christine Nairn provided the game-winner with a header for her first collegiate goal in the 79th minute. Danielle Toney's 16th minute goal was her second of the year.
TONEY SCORES, PSU WINS: Danielle Toney accounted for the 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.
TOUGH SCHEDULE: The Nittany Lions currently boast the fourth-toughest schedule in the country according to the RPI. Having already played five teams in the NSCAA Top 25, three of which are ranked 11th or better, Penn State continues its murderous row of opponents entering Big Ten play. The Big Ten is boasting one of its finest non-conference years and had three teams (Purdue at 15th, Indiana 19th, Ohio State 21st) in the top 25 and two others (Michigan State and Illinois) receiving votes.
--NITTANY LIONS--