Oct. 16, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 17 Penn State women's soccer team looks to recover from two tough losses as it hosts the Ohio State Buckeyes on Thursday afternoon at Jeffrey Field. The 3:00 p.m. match-up will be the first of two-straight matches that will air live on the Big Ten Network.
Thursday will be "Dollar Dog Day" at Jeffrey Field where all fans can purchase hot dogs for one dollar apiece. Admission and parking are free for all home matches and fans are reminded that there is a no bag policy in place on stadium grounds.
PSU enters the match at 10-3-1 overall and 4-2-0 in Big Ten action after falling to Michigan in a 1-0 decision last Sunday. The Nittany Lions are currently third in the B1G standings behind Nebraska (10-3-1, 5-1-0) and Michigan (10-2-1, 4-1-1).
The Blue and White are led by seniors Maya Hayes (West Orange, N.J.) and Tani Costa (Honolulu, Hawaii) and sophomore Raquel Rodriguez (San Jose, Costa Rica). Hayes leads the league and is tied for fifth in the nation in points (31). The forward is also second in the conference and tied for sixth in the country in goals (13). Costa has tallied five goals and five assists for the Nittany Lions this season while Rodriguez has notched three goals and a team-high seven assists.
Ohio State enters Thursday's game at 8-3-3 overall and 2-2-2 in Big Ten action after defeating Michigan State, 3-1, last Saturday in its most recent match. The Buckeyes are currently eighth in the league standings.
Nichelle Prince, Michela Paradiso and Danica Wu lead OSU's offensive attack. Prince has posted a team-high seven goals and five assists while Paradiso and Wu have also tallied five assists each.
The Buckeyes are led by Jillian McVicker and Rachel Middleman in goal. The duo has allowed just 10 goals this season for a B1G second-best goals against average of 0.71.
Penn State owns a 16-6-1 record over Ohio State all-time. The Nittany Lions shutout the Buckeyes, 3-0, when the two teams met a season ago. The Blue and White have not dropped a match to OSU since October 3, 2010, when they fell to the Buckeyes in a 1-0 overtime decision.
PSU closes out its regular season home slate on Sunday afternoon, hosting Illinois for Senior Day. The Nittany Lions will honor the seven seniors on the squad prior to the noon match-up. Sunday's game will air live on the Big Ten Network.