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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The fourth-seeded Penn State women's soccer team looks to earn its 37th NCAA Tournament victory on Friday evening as the Nittany Lions host Monmouth (N.J.) on Jeffrey Field in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The 7:30 p.m. match-up will be streamed live on NCAA.com and live stats will be provided on GoPSUsports.com via GameTracker.
TICKET INFORMATION
Fans can purchase tickets for Friday's match prior to game time at Jeffrey Field or by calling 1-800-NITTANY. Tickets prices are $8 for adults, $5 for students and $3 for groups of 20 or more.
Fans are encouraged to arrive at Jeffrey Field early to purchase tickets for this event. Two ticket windows will be open at the main entrance on the University Drive side as well as an additional ticket window at the entrance on the Beaver Stadium side of the field.
PARKING INFORMATION
Fans attending Friday night's game are advised to use the grass lot adjacent to Jeffrey Field for parking. This lot can be accessed from the Park Avenue entrance at the Stadium West light or off of University Drive just before the light at Curtin Road. In order to access the grass parking lot, fans should tell the parking attendant they are attending the soccer matches.
MATCH NOTES
• Penn State makes 19th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance
• Fourth-seeded Lions take on Monmouth in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday
• Penn State is 1-0-0 vs. the Hawks all-time
• Monmouth claimed the MAAC regular season and tournament crowns
• The Blue and White are 12-3 in NCAA first round matches
• Penn State defeated Monmouth, 4-0, in the first round of the tournament in 2007
• PSU owns a 29-6-1 record at home during the NCAA Tournament
• Hayes named Senior CLASS Award finalist
• Eight Big Ten teams earn NCAA bids
SCOUTING MONMOUTH
Monmouth enters Friday's contest at 17-1-2 after earning the MAAC regular season and tournament crowns. The Hawks have earned a NCAA bid for the first time since 2009 and third time in program history.
MU went undefeated in regular season conference action, posting an 8-0-2 record. The Hawks lead the nation in shutout percentage (0.800) and goals against average (0.293), having allowed just six goals on the year. The MU backline has notched 16 shutouts overall this season and is riding an eight-match shutout streak.
Ashley Lewis has started every contest for the Hawks in goal, registering 13 shutouts and a GAA of 0.33.
Alexis McTamney has paced MU's offensive attack with a team-high 11 goals. The freshman has also tallied five assists for a team-leading 27 points. Dana Costello leads the Hawks in assists with 10 and has also posted six goals this season.
SERIES HISTORY vs. THE HAWKS
Friday's match will be just the second meeting between Penn State and Monmouth. The two squads previously met in the first round of the 2007 NCAA Tournament with the Nittany Lions posting a 4-0 victory over the Hawks.
Penn State is 4-0-0 all-time vs. members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, earning wins over Siena in 1994 and 1996 and Niagra in 2006 to go along with the victory against Monmouth in 2007.
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Penn State will make its 19th straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament when it plays Monmouth on Friday. The Nittany Lions advanced to their first-ever National Championship game last season and have made it to the College Cup on four occasions (1999, 2002, 2005 and 2012). PSU has advanced to the quarterfinals nine times and the third round 11 times.
The Lions will be hosting their 37th NCAA Tournament game on Jeffrey Field, boasting a dominant 29-6-1 record at home. Penn State is 12-3 in first round matches and owns an overall tournament record of 36-17-2.
PENN STATE NO. 24 IN NSCAA POLL
After 12 weeks of action, the Penn State women's soccer team ranks 24th overall according to the NSCAA rankings. Nebraska (10) and Michigan (11) also represent the Big Ten in the poll while Iowa is just outside of the Top 25, receiving votes.
OFFENSIVE PROWESS
Penn State's offensive attack has proven to be one of the best in the nation this season as the Nittany Lions rank in the top 10 in three different categories. The Blue and White are tied for fourth in scoring offense (2.71), rank fifth in points (7.86) and ninth in assists (2.43).
SIX LIONS EARN ALL-BIG TEN HONORS
The No. 20 Penn State women's soccer team claimed six All-Big Ten laurels on Tuesday. Senior Maya Hayes and sophomore Mallory Weber headlined the group, earning first team All-Big Ten honors. Senior Taylor Schram and junior Whitney Church earned second team All-Big Ten laurels for their efforts on the pitch this season, freshman Brittany Basinger was honored on the All-Big Ten freshman team and senior Tani Costa was chosen as Penn State's representative on the Sportsmanship Award Honoree list.
MAKING A B1G IMPACT IN THE TOURNAMENT
The Big Ten is very well represented in this year's tournament with a conference-record eight teams making the cut. The previous record of six squads occurred in 1998, 2002 and 2010.
Joining Penn State in the national competition this season are Nebraska, Michigan, Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota and Ohio State. The Cornhuskers will host Southeastern Louisiana while Michigan welcomes Milwaukee and Indiana hosts DePaul. Iowa will travel to Notre Dame, Illinois matches up against Washington State, Minnesota is set to take on Texas Tech and Ohio State will face Kentucky.
HAYES FINALIST FOR SENIOR CLASS AWARD Penn State senior Maya Hayes has been selected as one-of-10 finalists for the 2013 Senior CLASS Award in collegiate soccer. Hayes is the first PSU women's soccer student-athlete in the seven-year history of the award to be named a finalist.
The Senior CLASS (Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School) Award is presented yearly to a Division I senior student-athlete who has notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character and competition.
Penn State fans can vote for Hayes at the Senior Class Award website. Fans can vote DAILY for their top three choices and are encouraged to vote often as fan voting is a key factor in determining the winner of the award.
NEXT TIME OUT
Should the Blue and White defeat Monmouth, the Nittany Lions will advance to play the winner of the Wake Forest-Morehead State match-up on Friday, Nov. 22 at a site to be determined.