Aug. 25, 2011
vs. West Virginia: | Live Video | vs. Richmond: | Live Video
Penn State Invitational Central | Game Notes | Twitter | Facebook
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State women's soccer team begins its home schedule in exciting fashion on Friday taking on regional rival No. 17 West Virginia at 7:30 p.m. The seventh annual Penn State Invitational will conclude Sunday at 2:30 p.m. when the Nittany Lions face Richmond.
PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS
vs.
#17 WEST VIRGINIA
Game #3: August 26, 2011 | 7:30 p.m. | Jeffrey Field | University Park, Pa.
PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS
vs.
RICHMOND SPIDERS
Game #4: August 28, 2011 | 2:30 p.m. | Jeffrey Field | University Park, Pa.
GAME DAY
VENUE (CAPACITY): Jeffrey Field (5,000)
SURFACE : Grass
STREAMING COVERAGE: Video Streaming thru GoPSUsports.com
SERIES RECORD VS. WVU: Penn State trails 3-5-0
LAST MEETING: 11/14/10, WVU 2-1 at Morgantown, W.Va.
SERIES RECORD VS. UR: First Meeting
NEXT GAME: 9/2-4 at Pitt Soccer Classic
GAME STORIES
• Nittany Lions host West Virginia, Richmond and George Mason at seventh annual Penn State Invitational this weekend
• PSU looks for second victory in three tries against WVU on Friday
• Lions and Spiders clash for first time in women's soccer on Sunday
• Penn State downed Nevada 4-0 after falling to No. 2 Stanford last week
• Emily Hurd led all scorers with three points vs. Nevada
PROMOTIONS
FRIDAY, AUGUST 26 - WEST VIRGINIA, 7:30 p.m.
Penn State will once again try to break the single-game attendance record for a women's soccer match at Jeffrey Field in its season opener. The past two season openers have seen an excess of 3,000 fans, including 3,900+ who saw PSU and Virginia fight to a thrilling 1-1 draw last August. All fans have the chance to pick up their 2011 commemorative poster and magnet.
This season, the Park Avenue Army (PAA) debuts starting with a free BBQ cookout in the grass lots surrounding Jeffrey Field provided by Carver's Deli starting at 6:30 p.m. The first 250 students joining PAA will receive free t-shirts before marching over to the match. All students in attendance will earn Code Blue Points, PSU's new student rewards program. One student will win a $100 gift card to the Penn State Bookstore by attending the match. Also, students in the Park Avenue Army will get free pizza at halftime.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 28 - RICHMOND, 2:30 p.m.
The second Penn State home game will be Camp Day and Mascot Day at Jeffrey Field. The first 100 campers wearing their official PSU camp shirts will receive a signed program from a Nittany Lion student-athlete. Also, PSU welcomes Centre Soccer Association to the match in the first of many "Kickin' it With..." promotions where Penn State highlights a local supporting group. Following the match, the first of three Sunday post-game autograph sessions will take place under the West Stands behind the team benches.
PARKING ADVISORY
Fans attending Friday's match are advised to use the University Drive entrance south of Jeffrey Field if possible. If fans wish to park in the Stadium West Lot next to Beaver Stadium using Park Avenue, tell the parking attendant you are attending the women's soccer games. Parking attendants will be collecting money for the State College Spikes baseball game that evening.
GAME STORIES
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS: No. 17 West Virginia enters Friday's match off a dominating 3-0 home win over Purdue last Sunday. The game featured two goals by stars Blake Miller and Bri Rodriguez to defeat the Boilers, while freshman Mallory Smith tallied a three-point afternoon. Sara Keane notched her first career shutout and stands at a 1.00 goals-against average through two games. The `neers dropped a 2-1 decision to regional rival, then-No. 10 Virginia in Charlottesville last week with Erica Henderson providing the lone tally. WVU is coming off a Sweet 16 appearance from a year ago and as the defending Big East champions.
SERIES HISTORY: The Nittany Lions and Mountaineers have staged one of the most heated rivalries on the East Coast over the past five years with the past six meetings decided by no more than a goal. Unfortunately for PSU, West Virginia is 5-1 in those encounters with three straight at Jeffrey Field. Last season, the Lions and Mountaineers split a pair of 2-1 decisions in Morgantown. Danielle Toney scored two of PSU's three goals, while Tani Costa notched her first game-winning goal last August.
SCOUTING THE SPIDERS: Richmond (0-1-1) is coming off a winless weekend after a scoreless, 102-minute draw vs. Longwood and a 6-0 loss at then-No. 10 Virginia. In net, new starter Andrea Young has seen all 192 minutes with a 2.81 goals against average and a .625 save percentage with a shutout. The Spiders' main attacking threat is Becca Wann, who scored 10 of the team's 17 goals and tallied 21 of the 47 team's points in 2010. No other Spider last season notched more than one goal or five points.
CALIFORNIA SPLIT: PSU (1-1-0) showed no ill effects of Friday night's 4-0 loss at No. 2 Stanford, pushing play from beginning to end, opening a 2-0 halftime lead behind the strength of Kori Chapic's and Emily Hurd's goals. The freshman duo lifted the Nittany Lions early and led Penn State to the easy victory. Sophomores Maya Hayes and Taylor Schram notched goals in the second half, while Jess Rosenbluth supplied two helpers and Bri Garcia chipped in with one of her own. Erin McNulty and Krissy Tribbett combined on PSU's first shutout of the year.
LION LEADERS: Penn State has two captains this season in senior Emma Thomson and junior Lexi Marton. The duo were selected as the leaders of the team during spring play.
MONTHLY WINS: Penn State will play its 26th August game against the Mountaineers. PSU has posted a record of 14-9-2 all-time in August, good for a .600 winning percentage. Four games will be played in August this season.
TROPHY CANDIDATE: Penn State junior midfielder Christine Nairn was honored by three separate national entities in the preseason. Nairn was featured on the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy Watch List as well as Soccer America's Preseason All-America roster and TopDrawerSoccer.com's Top 100 Upperclasswomen.
RULING THE ROOST: The Big Ten coaches' preseason predictions were released on Wednesday, Aug. 16 and Penn State was tabbed to claim its 14th-straight Big Ten title. Ohio State and Wisconsin were tabbed No. 2 and No. 3, respectively for the second straight year.
NEXT TIME OUT:  The Nittany Lions will travel to the Pitt Soccer Classic next week to take on N.C. State and Colorado College or Pittsburgh. Below is the schedule of events.
Friday, September 2
5:00 p.m. - PENN STATE vs. N.C. State
7:30 p.m. - Colorado College at Pitt
Sunday, September 4
11:30 a.m. - Colorado Coll. vs. PENN STATE/N.C. State
2:00 p.m. - Pitt vs. PENN STATE/N.C. State
For complete coverage of Penn State women's soccer, please visit GoPSUsports.com.
Follow Penn State women's soccer on Twitter: @PSUWomensSoccer.
Follow Penn State women's soccer on Facebook: Facebook.com/PSUWomensSoccer.
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--NITTANY LIONS--