Nov. 9, 2009
NCAA Bracket • GALLERY
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.--The No. 22 Penn State women's soccer team learned its road to the Women's College Cup on Monday as the fourth-seeded Nittany Lions will take on Colgate on Friday at Jeffrey Field at 7:30 p.m. Penn State makes its 14th-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament and will host a game at Jeffrey Field for the 29th time.
"First of all, we have to do our homework on Colgate," Head coach Erica Walsh said shortly after the bracket was revealed. "We have to do our work against a good Patriot League team, one that I'm familiar with in Colgate. They are a talented bunch that we need to prepare for."
The Nittany Lions are 28-13-1 all-time in their previous 13 trips to the tournament, including three Women's College Cup appearances (1999, 2002, 2005). An eight-time quarterfinalist, Penn State has hosted 28 games at Jeffrey Field going 23-5-0 overall, while outscoring its opponents 71-19.
Colgate enters Friday's match with an 11-6-3 overall record, going 5-1-1 in the Patriot League. Colgate needed two overtime wins at home in order to capture the Patriot League Tournament title. The Raiders are led by Jillian Kinter who scored four goals and three assists for 11 points. Goalkeeper Ashley Walsh started all 20 games sporting a .891 save percentage with a 0.75 goals-against average.
The only common opponent the two teams have is Bucknell, who tied Penn State 0-0 in Lewisburg, Pa. on Sept. 23. Colgate beat the Bison 2-1 in dramatic fashion to earn the No. 1 seed in the Patriot tournament.
"We just have to make sure the focus is on Friday," Added Walsh. "We will be prepared for a well-organized Colgate team, [Penn State] has faced them a couple of times in the past, and I have seen them even a few more times from my time at Bucknell and Lehigh. [Colgate head coach] Kathy Brawn has been there a long time and has built quite a program.
The Nittany Lions haven't dropped a game since Sept. 27, a 3-2 overtime decision at Michigan State. The nine-game unbeaten mark matches a nine-game stretch in 2007, when Penn State won nine-in-a-row. The Nittany Lions haven't had a 10-game unbeaten streak since a school-record 26-game stretch from Aug. 26, 2005 to Aug. 25, 2006.
In the four-team pod, ACC foe Virginia and Big East team St. John's were placed in the University Park bracket, and will face off against each other at 5:00 p.m. prior to the Penn State-Colgate match. The winner out of the four-team pod will play the winner of the No. 1 UCLA bracket, which includes the Bruins, San Diego, San Diego State and Boise State.
"I'm excited to potentially get the opportunity to play some different teams [from out west]," Walsh said. "That's what the NCAA Tournament is all about and I think this bracket feels more like an NCAA bracket than just a regional competition."
Penn State was one of five teams from the Big Ten who earned NCAA teams. Ohio State and Wisconsin are hosting pods, while Purdue travels to Notre Dame and Michigan State plays at Santa Clara. Penn State is the only Big Ten squad to earn a national seed.
SCHEDULE
Friday, Nov. 13, 2009 at Jeffrey Field
Game 1: 5:00 p.m. - Virginia vs. St. John's
Game 2: 7:30 p.m. - Penn State vs. Colgate
Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009 at Jeffrey Field
Game 3: 1:00 p.m. - Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner
--NITTANY LIONS--