Sept. 22, 2011
vs. Northwestern: | Watch Live on BTN.com
vs. Illinois: | Watch Live on BTN.com
Game Notes | Twitter | Facebook
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Nittany Lion women's soccer team returns home for a three-game home stand, starting with Northwestern on Friday at 7:00 p.m. PSU hosts No. 22 Illinois on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. in a pivotal match of top Big Ten foes.
PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (7-3-0, 0-1-0 Big Ten)
vs.
NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS (1-7-0, 0-1-0 Big Ten)
Game #11: Sept. 23, 2011 | 7:00 p.m. | Jeffrey Field | University Park, Pa.
PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (7-3-0, 0-1-0 Big Ten)
vs.
#22 ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI (6-2-1, 0-0-1 Big Ten)
Game #12: Sept. 25, 2011 | 1:00 p.m. | Jeffrey Field | University Park, Pa.
PROMOTIONS
vs. Northwestern: The Nittany Lions return to Jeffrey Field for the first time in September welcoming Northwestern to town for its Big Ten home opener. As with every night game, Park Avenue Army will host a pre-game BBQ cookout in the Jeffrey Field parking lots. Posters will be given out prior to the match and the Nittany Lions will be Kickin' it With Blair County kids.
vs. Illinois: Penn State welcomes nationally ranked Illinois to Jeffrey for Faculty Appreciation Day where all PSU staff members are honored during the game. At halftime, 11 of the PSU men's soccer team will take on 100 kids in the first of two 11 vs. 100 soccer games. The Nittany Lions will be Kickin' it With Bedford County and Huntington County kids prior to a post-game autograph session. The first 150 fans will also receive free women's soccer eco-friendly grocery bags.
GAME DAY
VENUE (SURFACE, CAPACITY): Jeffrey Field (Grass; 5,000)
STREAMING COVERAGE: BTN.com Digital Network Broadcast
SERIES RECORD VS. NU: 17-2-0 (9-0-0 at Jeffrey)
LAST MEETING: 10/8/10, PSU 2-1 (at Evanston, Ill.)
SERIES RECORD VS. ILL: 19-2-0 (10-0-0 at Jeffrey)
LAST MEETING: 10/24/10, PSU 2-0 (at Champaign, Ill.)
NEXT GAMES: 10/29 vs. Ohio State at Jeffrey Field, 7:00 p.m.
GAME STORIES
• Nittany Lions return to Jeffrey Field, opening three-game home stand over eight days
• Penn State looks to win its 15th straight game against Northwestern on Friday
• Lions trying to win 11th straight home game against Illinois on Sunday
• Penn State is a perfect 19-0-0 all-time against the Big Ten Illinois schools at Jeffrey Field
• PSU dominated Bucknell in a 4-0 win on Tuesday night with four different scorers
• Maya Hayes is tied for lead in NCAA D-I and Big Ten Conference goals (13)
• Penn State has tallied 34 assists on 26 goals with Christine Nairn leading the Big Ten
• Nittany Lions rank first in points and shutouts in the Big Ten
GAME NOTES
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS: Northwestern (1-7-0, 0-1-0 Big Ten) is looking to turn things around in the Big Ten season after a tough 1-6-0 non-conference season. The Wildcats will enter Jeffrey Field well rested after playing just one game last weekend, a 3-1 loss at Nebraska. Sophomore Kate Allen is again NU's top scoring threat, notching four of the Wildcats' nine goals on the year. Sami Schrakamp leads the team in assists with three helpers on the year. In net, Anna Cassell has played all 745-plus minutes sporting a 2.29 GAA and a .642 save percentage with one shutout, which came last week in a 3-0 win over Loyola-Chicago.
SERIES HISTORY vs. NU: Penn State has thoroughly dominated Northwestern in the all-time series by a count of 17-2-0, including a perfect 9-0-0 mark at Jeffrey Field. The Nittany Lions have won the last 14 meetings including a 2-1 effort in Evanston last season where Christine Nairn's two goals gave PSU a comeback win. The Nittany Lions have held Northwestern scoreless in its last two trips to Happy Valley with the last NU goal coming in 2006 during the Big Ten Tournament.
SCOUTING THE ILLINI: Illinois (6-2-1, 0-0-1 Big Ten) looks to get back on the winning side of the ledger following a 2-2 double-overtime draw at Iowa last week. The Illini needed second-half goals to equal the resurgent Hawkeyes in Iowa City after a 2-0 deficit. Illinois' high-powered offense has scored 30 times at a rate of 3.33 goals per game. Sophomore midfielder and reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year Vanessa DiBernardo patrols the Illini center. DiBernardo has scored nine times with 20 points on the year, while Niki Read and Megan Pawloski have hauled in four goals apiece. While the Illini score in bunches they are prone to give up a goal or two with 14 goals against in nine matches. Steph Panozzo has played every minute in net (834) with a 1.51 GAA and a .659 save percentage with two shutouts.
SERIES HISTORY vs. ILL: The Nittany Lions have rattled off five straight wins against Illinois over the past four seasons including a 2-0 victory in Champaign last year when Illinois was ranked 13th. PSU's defense has been staunch against Illinois, with no Illini goals scored since 2007. That's a stretch where PSU went 3-0-0, while outscoring Illinois 10-0. PSU is 19-2-0 all-time against Illinois with a perfect 10-0-0 mark at Jeffrey Field including a 6-0 win the last time Illinois visited Happy Valley in 2009.
BISON STAMPEDE: Penn State made quick work of Bucknell in a 4-0 thrashing at Emmitt Field on Tuesday night, Sept. 20. The Nittany Lions used goals scored by four different players and eight Lions tallied a point on the evening. Taylor Schram opened the scoring with Christine Nairn, Emily Hurd and Maya Hayes adding insurance goals. Bri Hovington, Emma Thomson and Meghan Gill tallied their first points of the year on helpers, while Jess Rosenbluth added one of her own on the final goal. Penn State dominated the Bison, who failed to register a shot on goal.
PENNSYLVANIA DOMINANCE: Sept. 20th's meeting at Bucknell allowed PSU to extend an amazing run of play against Pennsylvania teams. Since starting its program in 1994, Penn State has become the premier women's soccer program in Pennsylvania. All-time, the Nittany Lions are an impressive 32-2-1 against its Keystone foes, with the only team ever defeating PSU being Villanova. In fact, the Lions are riding a 14-year unbeaten streak since its last loss, a 2-1 defeat at `Nova in 1997. PSU is currently enjoying a 26-0-1 stretch, which includes a 15-0-1 mark against Bucknell and an 8-0-0 mark vs. Pittsburgh.
BIG TEN OPENING LOSS: No. 21 Penn State dropped its Big Ten opener, 1-0, at Wisconsin on Saturday, Sept. 17 at the McClimon Sports Complex. UW's Laurie Nosbusch scored a 17th minute goal in a very physical game that had six yellow cards and 38 fouls between the two teams, 27 on Wisconsin alone. UW picked up four yellows, while Christine Nairn hit the post on a free kick and Michele Dalton pitched a shutout.
SCORING STREAK: Maya Hayes recently concluded a career-high seven-game scoring streak, tallying a goal from the Nevada match on Aug. 21 to Sept. 11 at Virginia. Hayes's streak is tied for third all-time in PSU history with Christie Welsh (2000) and Katie Schoepfer (2009). Hayes was six games from matching Tiffany Weimer's 2004 streak of 13. Weimer holds a share of the NCAA record at 17 set in 2005. The sophomore striker has scored in eight of her last nine matches.
MAY I HELP YOU?: An important aspect to possession-based play that head coach Erica Walsh has instilled in the Nittany Lions is the finish off combination plays. This season has seen all 26 goals scored by the Nittany Lions helped by an assist. In total, PSU has 34 assists, which leads the Big Ten. Against West Virginia, PSU set a new school record with nine helpers, led by Taylor Schram's career-high three. Four of the five goals PSU scored that night featured double assists and the Lions would add two more double assists in its game against N.C. State. Christine Nairn, leads the Big Ten with seven assists, while Schram and Jess Rosenbluth owns six apiece. Thirteen Nittany Lions have tallied helpers this season including goalkeeper Erin McNulty, who started a Maya Hayes goal in the team's season opener vs. WVU.
MARTON OFF TO CNT: Junior defender and co-captain Lexi Marton left State College on Monday, Sept. 12 to join the Canadian National Team ahead of its two-game friendly series against the United States. Canada plays the U.S., which is on its World Cup Celebration Tour, in Kansas City, Kansas on Saturday, Sept. 17 before a second patch at JELD-WEN Stadium in Portland on Thursday, Sept. 22. Included on the Canadian National Team is former Nittany Lion standout Erin McLeod, who started for the Canadians in the 2011 FIFA World Cup. On the American side, Ali Krieger will feature in her normal defensive role on the right flank. Krieger made headlines all over the world for her match-clinching penalty kick against Brazil in the World Cup Quarterfinals en route to the Cup Final.
MONTHLY WINS: Penn State continues September at Jeffrey Field with a 4-2-0 record. In all, the Lions play nine matches in the ninth month of the year. The Nittany Lions are 110-30-13 all-time in September for a .761 winning percentage. PSU went 3-1-0 this past August to up its all-time record to 16-9-2 (.630).
LION LEADERS: Penn State has two captains this season in senior Emma Thomson and junior Lexi Marton. The duo was selected as the leaders of the team during spring play.
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: Penn State hosts Ohio State on Thursday, Sept. 29 for a major match at Jeffrey Field at 7:00 p.m. The CODE BLUE Blast Event is being held where Nittany Lion students will receive triple points for attending the match with the Park Avenue Army.  The game pits the Big Ten Co-Champs from 2010 as well as the only two schools to reach the College Cup as members of the conference. PSU will then gear up for a match at Minnesota the following Sunday, Oct. 2.
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--NITTANY LIONS--