Nov. 15, 2012
Tournament Central | Game Notes | | Watch
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The top-seeded Penn State women's soccer team (18-3-1) enters the second round of NCAA Tournament action this Friday at 7:30 p.m. on Jeffrey Field. Penn State is making its fourth consecutive appearance in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. With a victory, the Nittany Lions will host the winner of Michigan and Portland (Friday, 5:30 p.m.) on Sunday at 7 p.m. on Jeffrey Field in the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
Tickets prices for Friday's game are $8 for adults, $5 for students/youth and $3 for groups with 15 or more in their party. Tickets can be purchased at the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office or by calling 1-800-NITTANY. Additionally, fans can purchase tickets at the gate.
The Nittany Lions earned a 4-0 shutout victory over the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds at Jeffrey Field in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last Saturday night. Penn State's four goals were scored by four different players. Junior Maya Hayes (West Orange, N.J.) led the Nittany Lions with three points coming on an assist and goal in the second half. Senior Christine Nairn (Arnold, Md.) tallied her 14thgoal of the season, while Big Ten Freshman of the Year Raquel Rodriguez (San Jose, Costa Rica) and junior Tani Costa (Honolulu, Hawaii) tallied goals as well.
Penn State is appearing in its 18th straight NCAA Tournament. The Nittany Lions have made three College Cups, while reaching the Quarterfinals on eight occasions and the third round 10 times. Penn State will be hosting its 33rd NCAA game on Jeffrey Field and boasts a terrific 26-6-0 all-time record. The Nittany Lions are 10-4-0 all-time in the second round with a 6-4 mark under head coach Erica Walsh, who is 10-8 all-time in the NCAA Tournament with two Sweet Sixteen appearances. Penn State is looking for its second-straight trip to the NCAA Third Round. Overall, Penn State is 33-16-1 in the NCAA Tournament.
Boston College enters Friday's contest with a 10-5-3 overall record and finished with a 4-4-1 mark in ACC conference action. The Eagles are a very dangerous team, having defeated the then No. 1-ranked Florida State Seminoles back on Oct. 18. Additionally, Boston College drew with Stanford 1-1 back on Aug. 31, who is a common opponent for Penn State. The Eagles are 2-4-3 against ranked opponents this season with those two wins coming over the Seminoles and No. 19 Boston University.
The Eagles are no slouch in the offensive end of the field, as Kristen Mewis leads the way for the Eagles with 13 goals and 11 assists on the season. Mewis is just one of two players in the second round of the NCAA Tournament that has double-double statistical figures in goals and assists. In fact, Mewis has turned in double-double campaigns in back-to-back seasons. Stephanie McCaffery and McKenzie Meehan each have tallied nine goals for the Eagles as well. McCaffery leads the team with six assists and has tallied a total of 24 points. Alexa Gaul will earn the start between the pipes, having seen nearly 1600 minutes of action this season and giving up an average of 1.31 goals per game. The keeper also has three shutouts on the year.
The Nittany Lions and Eagles have faced off twice in the all-time series with Penn State holding a 1-0-1 all-time advantage. The last time these two squads faced off was back on Nov. 19, 2006 in the NCAA Tournament, where the Nittany Lions earned a 1-0 win to advance to the NCAA quarterfinals. Aubrey Aden-Buie's 12th goal and fourth game-winner of the season, netted in the 52nd minute, was the difference in the third round contest.
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