Sept. 26, 2012
| | Game Notes
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women's soccer team will close out its three-game road trip with the Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus on Thursday night. The 8 p.m. clash with the Buckeyes can be seen live on the Big Ten Network. Penn State will be playing in its fourth televised game this season, its third on the BTN.
Following Thursday's match with the Buckeyes, Penn State will return to Happy Valley to begin a three-match homestand with Minnesota on Sunday at noon. Sunday's contest can be viewed via a live stream on the Big Ten Network "Student U" broadcast and will also be re-aired on the BTN on Monday at noon.
The Nittany Lions are coming off a big weekend where they picked up two Big Ten wins at Northwestern and Illinois. In Friday's 4-1 victory over Northwestern, Penn State used two goals from senior Christine Nairn (Arnold, Md.) and junior Maya Hayes (West Orange, N.J.) to seal the victory. Penn State has not lost to Northwestern since 1998.
In Sunday's 4-0 win over Illinois, Hayes led the way for the Nittany Lions, putting together three points on a goal and assist. Redshirt junior Tani Costa (Honolulu, Hawaii), freshman Mallory Weber (Novi, Mich.) and sophomore Kori Chapic (Novelty, Ohio) added the additional Penn State goals. Costa's goal tied for the quickest one in school history. Tiffany Weimer also scored 56 seconds in against USC in 2006. Hayes and Weber earned weekly Big Ten honors for their performances at Northwestern and Illinois. Hayes was named Offensive Player of the Week for her three goals and two assists and Weber earned Co-Freshman of the Week for scoring one goal and adding an assist.
The 7-3-0 Buckeyes of Ohio State enter Thursday's contest with a 2-1-0 mark in Big Ten action. Through three Big Ten games, Ohio State came out on top against Minnesota and Northwestern, while falling short to Illinois last Friday by a count of 1-0. The Buckeyes have earned two victories over ranked opponents this season, including a 1-0 win over No. 17 Maryland and a 1-0 overtime win against No. 13 Missouri.
Ohio State has had some stellar play in the back this season, outscoring its opponents 14-5 in 2012. The Buckeyes are led by Tiffany Cameron, who is near the top in the conference in goals scored with nine, including six game-winners. Lauren Granberg and Michela Paradiso each lead the team with four assists. Rachel Middleman and Jillian McVicker have split time in the net. Middleman has seen more minutes, earning five wins on the year and allowing an average of 0.58 goals per game.
Penn State holds a 15-6-1 overall record against the Buckeyes. Despite dropping their game in Happy Valley last season, the Buckeyes have played tough against Penn State in recent meetings, sporting a 2-2-1 record going back to the 2007 Big Ten Tournament (a 2-2 draw, won by OSU in PKs).
The Gophers enter the weekend with a 6-5-0 overall record and a 1-2-0 mark in Big Ten play. The Gophers have outscored their opponents by a score of 23-12. Minnesota won its first Big Ten match of the year with a 1-0 victory over Michigan State this past Sunday. Previously, the Golden Gophers dropped contests to Ohio State and Michigan. Earlier in the season, Minnesota played No. 1-ranked Florida State tough, dropping its match to the Seminoles by a score of 3-2.
Taylor Uhl leads the way for the Golden Gophers with 28 points coming on 11 goals and six assists. Katie Thyken and Allie Phillips each have four assists, which is tied for second on the team. Cat Parkhill will start between the pipes for Minnesota, allowing 1.06 goals per contest.
Penn State has dominated Minnesota winning the past six games and 17 of 18 overall dating back to 1997. Last season, Penn State earned two victories over the Golden Gophers last season, which included a 3-1 victory in the Big Ten Semifinals in Evanston, Ill.
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