Oct. 7, 2011
at Indiana | Watch Live | Game Notes
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The 18th-ranked Nittany Lions travel to Indiana for a Sunday 11:00 a.m. clash at Armstrong Stadium. Penn State is in search of its first six-game winning streak of the season and to extend its 16-match unbeaten streak agains the Hoosiers.
#18 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (11-3-0, 4-1-0 Big Ten)
at
INDIANA HOOSIERS (6-6-1, 2-3-0 Big Ten)
Game #15: Oct. 9, 2011 | 11:00 a.m. | Armstrong Stadium | Bloomington, Ind.
GAME DAY
VENUE (SURFACE, CAPACITY): Bill Armstrong Stadium (Grass; 6,500)
STREAMING COVERAGE: IUHoosiers.com Webcast
SERIES RECORD VS. IND: 18-1-1 (7-0-1 at Armstrong)
LAST MEETING: 10/28/10, PSU 6-1 (at University Park, Pa.)
NEXT GAME: 10/14 vs. Nebraska, 7 p.m. • 10/16 vs. Iowa, 11 a.m.
GAME STORIES
• Nittany Lions face the Indiana Hoosiers in a road contest at Armstrong Stadium
• Penn State seeks to continue its five-game winning streak against IU
• Lions will attempt to stretch its unbeaten streak against the Hoosiers to 17 games
• PSU went 2-0 last week, taking wins from Ohio State (3-1) and Minnesota (1-0)
• Freshman Kori Chapic was named Big Ten's Freshman of the Week (10/3)
• Maya Hayes is tied for lead in NCAA D-I and Big Ten Conference goals (16), while leading the Big Ten and NCAA in total points with 37
• Junior midfielder Christine Nairn was called into USWNT U-23 Camp Oct. 2-7
•â€'Penn State has tallied 47 assists on 35 goals in 2011, leading the Big Ten in the stat
GAME NOTES
SCOUTING THE HOOSIERS: Indiana (6-6-1, 2-3-0 Big Ten) is coming off a 1-0 win at Northwestern last week following a 4-1 loss at Illinois two days earlier. Colombian international Orianica Velasquez sets the tone on offense leading the team with six goals, while Lisa Nouanesengsy is nearly as dangerous with five goals and two assists. Forward turned defender Carly Samp is also dangerous on the attack with four goals and two assists in 2011. In net, Lindsay Campbell (5-6-0) has earned nearly 1,100 minutes in net sporting a 1.44 GAA and a .782 save percentage.
SERIES HISTORY vs. IND: Penn State has completely dominated the all-time series against the Hoosiers with an 18-1-1 overall record including a string of 16 straight unbeaten. At Armstrong Stadium, the Nittany Lions boast a 7-0-1 record with the lone "blemish" being a 0-0 double-overtime draw in 2006. Head coach Erica Walsh is 4-0-0 all-time against Indiana, who have been out-scored 45-14 by the Nittany Lions in the series, including last year's 6-1 victory at Jeffrey Field.
GOPHER TRIUMPH: No. 24 Penn State tallied a crucial 1-0 road win at Minnesota's Robbie Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 2. Sophomore striker Maya Hayes scored her nation leading 16th goal and sixth game-winner of the season in the 84th minute to push the Nittany Lions past the Golden Gophers. Carly Niness tallied her first assist on the play, setting up a pass to Taylor Schram who sent Hayes in on net. Erin McNulty recorded her third solo shutout in the Nittany Lions' conference leading eighth clean sheet of the year.
PSU CRACKS THE BUCKEYES: No. 24 Penn State women's soccer overcame a 1-0 halftime deficit with a trio of lightning-strike goals in a 3-1 victory over Ohio State on Thursday night, Sept. 29 at Jeffrey Field. Taylor Schram notched the tying goal 15 seconds after halftime to begin the scoring barrage, while Kori Chapic headed home the game-winner 1:44 later. Emily Hurd scored her third goal of the year to give PSU the two-goal margin, while Maya Hayes recorded a career high three assists in the victory over the conference leader. The result coupled with Minnesota's 2-2 tie at Wisconsin, vaulted Penn State into first in the Big Ten.
CHAPIC & HAYES EARN AWARDS: Penn State standouts Kori Chapic and Maya Hayes earned weekly awards on Monday, Oct. 3. Chapic was tabbed as the Freshman of the Week in the Big Ten, while Hayes corralled a spot on the TopDrawerSoccer.com's Team of the Week. Chapic received her first notable award of the season thanks to a game-winning goal against Ohio State this past Thursday and outstanding defense in a perfect 2-0 week for the Nittany Lions. Hayes scored the game-winner at Minnesota and tallied three helpers in the win over Ohio State.
NATIONAL SCORING LEADER: Maya Hayes has been on fire all season, scoring 16 times and tallying five assists through 14 games. Hayes is currently tied for the Big Ten and NCAA Division I lead in total goals, while leading the NCAA in points with 37. Hayes is rocketing up the Penn State record-book charts as she is only one goal from third place for most scores as a sophomore and five points from the same spot in that category.
NAIRN & WALSH CALLED TO DUTY: On Tuesday, Sept. 27, junior midfield standout Christine Nairn was tabbed by U.S. Soccer to participate in a six-day training camp with the U-23 squad running from Oct. 2-7. Nairn, who was unable to participate in California due to an injury suffered at Minnesota, was set to be be accompanied by Penn State head coach and U.S. National Team assistant coach Erica Walsh to the camp. In all, 24 players took part in the unique training camp that featured U.S. head coach Pia Sundhage as well as the U.S. women's development director Jill Ellis and technical director April Heinrichs. Nairn has two caps with the senior U.S. squad from 2009, scoring the game-winning goal against Canada in July 2009. Nairn was a starting member of the 2008 U-20 World Cup champion team with former Nittany Lion teammate Alyssa Naeher and went on to captain the U-20 team at the 2010 World Cup.
NATIONAL RANKINGS REVIEW: Penn State moved up in every national poll this week thanks to a 2-0 mark in conference play. PSU is up to 18th in the NSCAA poll. SoccerTimes.com moved Penn State up to 20th and Soccer America pegged Penn State at 18th, the fifth straight week the Lions have been in the publication's poll. TopDrawerSoccer.com ranked PSU 16th, while the NCAA Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) was released for the second time this week with the Nittany Lions notching 21st, tops amongst all Big Ten sides.
SCORING STREAK: Maya Hayes concluded a career-high seven-game scoring streak a couple weeks ago, 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 10 of her last 13 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 35 goals scored by the Nittany Lions helped by an assist. In total, PSU has 47 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 nine assists, while Schram has eight and Jess Rosenbluth owns seven. Sixteen 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 and another Hayes goal in the comeback over Ohio State. Hayes matched Schram's WVU effort with three of her own in the OSU victory.
BIG TEN HOME SWEEP: Penn State swept its Big Ten opening home stand (Sept. 23-25) with a dominating 4-0 win over Northwestern and a staunch 1-0 defensive effort against then-No. 22 Illinois. Ali Schaefer and Maya Hayes each scored twice to pace Penn State past Northwestern with Bri Hovington, Christine Nairn, Jess Rosenbluth, Taylor Schram and Ali Schaefer tallying assists each. Against Illinois, a packed midfield didn't allow either team's offense to get rolling. Schaefer broke through in the 39th minute with a cleverly placed shot to the upper left corner of the net off a pass from Whitney Church for the deciding goal. Erin McNulty earned her second shutout with three saves, while PSU earned its seventh blanking of the year.
ALI SCHAEFER REAPS REWARDS: Senior reserve midfielder Ali Schaefer deservingly captured the awards that come with a three-goal, seven-point weekend. She was named the Big Ten's Offensive Player of the Week for the first time in her career along with a SoccerSavings.com/Philly Soccer News Player of the Week nod. Schaefer also earned recognition from TopDrawerSoccer.com and Soccer America on their respective Teams of the Week.
MARTON BACK FROM CNT: 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. While Marton didn't play in the first match against the Americans, the junior out of Aurora, Ontario started and played all 90 minutes in the second match on Sept. 22 in front of 18,000 fans at JELD-WEN Stadium in Portland, Ore. Included on the Canadian National Team were former Nittany Lion standouts Erin McLeod, who started for the Canadians in the 2011 FIFA World Cup, and Carmelina Moscato. On the American side, Ali Krieger featured 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.
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 31 goals scored by the Nittany Lions helped by an assist. In total, PSU has 40 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 eight assists, while Schram and Jess Rosenbluth owns seven apiece. Fifteen 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.
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.
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. 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.
MONTHLY WINS: Penn State continues October at Armstrong Stadium with a 1-0-0 record thus far. In all, the Lions play seven matches in the 10th month of the year. The Nittany Lions are 126-22-4 all-time in October for an astounding .842 winning percentage. PSU went 3-1-0 in August to up its all-time record to 16-9-2 (.630), while posting a 7-2-0 mark to improve to 113-30-13 (.767) all-time.
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 returns to Jeffrey Field on Homecoming Weekend for a unique challenge. PSU welcomes new Big Ten member Nebraska to Happy Valley as the Cornhuskers take part in their first Big Ten event on Penn State's campus. That match is set for Friday, Oct. 14 at 7:00 p.m. before taking on resurgent Iowa on Sunday, Oct. 16 at 11:00 a.m. That match is part of a doubleheader with the PSU men's soccer team, who play Northwestern at 2:00 p.m.
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--NITTANY LIONS--