Oct. 2, 2009
Game Notes • • • Twitter Feed
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women's soccer team (4-5-1, 0-1-0) faces a tall order when it welcomes No. 15 Ohio State (8-1-1, 1-0-0 Big Ten) to Jeffrey Field on Sunday for a 1:00 p.m. clash. The Lions look to snap a two-game winless streak, while knocking off the Buckeyes who are on a run of six-straight games won. Sunday will celebrate Pink Day at Jeffrey Field to support breast cancer awareness.
The first 200 fans arriving to Jeffrey Field will receive free Pink Day shirts and donation jars will be set out across the stadium. All proceeds will be used in conjunction with the PSU Lady Lions' WBCA Pink Zone/Think Pink event during the basketball season.
#15 Ohio State Buckeyes
(8-1-1; 1-0-0 Big Ten)
at
Penn State Nittany Lions
(4-5-1; 0-1-0 Big Ten)
Game #11: October 4, 2009 • 1:00 p.m. • Jeffrey Field • University Park, Pa.
GAME DAY
VENUE (CAPACITY): Jeffrey Field (5,000)
SURFACE: Grass
TELEVISON COVERAGE: GoPSUsports.com All-Access
TALENT: Greg Boyce (pxp), Tom Ferguson (color)
SERIES RECORD VS. OSU: Penn State leads, 13-5-1
LAST MEETING: 10/31/08, OSU 1-0 (University Park, Pa.)
NEXT GAME: 10/9 vs. Northwestern, 7:00 p.m. (Greek Day, CODE BLUE)
GAME STORIES
• The Lions welcome the 15th-ranked Buckeyes for PSU's Big Ten home opener
• PSU will try to win its 14th match in 20 tries against Ohio State
• Penn State holds a 8-1 all-time record vs. Ohio State at Jeffrey Field
• Lions dropped its first Big Ten opener at MSU, dropping to 15-1 all-time
• Katie Schoepfer scored first goal since 8/29 (vs. WVU) against MSU
• The Nittany Lions are 3-5-1 since a season opening win vs. then-#9 Virginia, losing three straight to ranked teams (#14 WVU, #5 FSU, #8 Wake Forest)
• Highest-ranked OSU team entering Jeffrey Field since 2004 (#16)
GAME STORIES
LAST TIME OUT: The Nittany Lions roared back from a 2-0 deficit before Katie Schoepfer cut the lead just before the hour-mark at Michigan State. Penn State dominated the second half, boosted by a Christine Nairn strike from 30 yards in the 70th, sending the game to overtime. There, reigning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year Laura Heyboer scored five minutes into the first extra frame for a 3-2 MSU win. Alyssa Naeher made seven stops in net, including one world-class save in the second half to keep the match tied.
SCOUTING BRUTUS: The No. 15/16 Ohio State Buckeyes (8-1-1, 1-0-0 Big Ten) arrive in Happy Valley as the last Big Ten team, and only the second ever, to beat the Nittany Lions at Jeffrey Field. Last Oct. 31 saw OSU take a 1-0 lead despite just two shots on goal for a shocking win. This year, Ohio State is a much improved team from the 8-10-2 squad from 2008, instead, the Buckeyes have already matched their win total. Strong defense (four goals allowed) and solid offense (21 goals in 10 games) have paved the way to the highest ranking the Buckeyes have received since 2004. Paige Maxwell leads the team in goals (5) and points (10), while Lauren Robertson patrols the goal with a 0.39 goals-against average in 929 minutes.
SERIES HISTORY: The Nittany Lions hold a 13-5-1 overall record, 8-1 at Jeffrey Field. Of course, the last Big Ten contest at Jeffrey was against the very same Buckeyes that left as 1-0 victors. Penn State hasn't lost a Big Ten home opener since 1995 (1-0 vs. Minnesota), and the Lions have outscored OSU 30-14. Even with the all-time success, PSU hasn't beaten the Buckeyes in the last two tries since a 1-0 win in Columbus (11/2/07). Additionally, the ranking of 16 for the Buckeyes stands as the highest ranked Ohio State team to enter Jeffrey since the 2004 team dropped a 1-0 match as #16 on Oct. 22. PSU is 71-2-3 (.954) all-time at Jeffrey vs. Big Ten opponents.
BUCKNELL TIE: Penn State 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 Sept. 23 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.
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.
SCHOEPFER HAS CLASS: 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.
PACK THE JEFF: Penn State athletics organized its biggest soccer promotion in history as the efforts to fill Jeffrey Field for the season opener vs. Virginia. The goal was 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. In the end, 3,098 fans came out to see the Lions beat the Cavaliers, the second-largest crowd ever.  Currently, Penn State ranks fourth in the nation behind Texas A&M, North Carolina and Portland in average attendance.
NEXT TIME OUT: Penn State will host two Big Ten games next week vs. Northwestern (Oct. 9) at 7:00 p.m. and Iowa (Oct. 11) at 11:00 a.m. All matches will be broadcast live on PSU All-Access.
The complete release in PDF format can be found at http://www.GoPSUsports.com/sports/w-soccer.
Follow Penn State women's soccer on Twitter: @PSUWomensSoccer
--NITTANY LIONS--