Nov. 21, 2013
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The fourth-seeded Penn State women's soccer team continues its quest for a fifth NCAA College Cup appearance on Friday as the Nittany Lions face Wake Forest on neutral territory at Virginia's Klockner Stadium in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Fans can watch the 4 p.m. match live online at virginiasports.com or can keep up with the action via or the official Penn State women's soccer Twitter.
TICKET & PARKING INFORMATION
Tickets for each day are $9 for reserved seats, $7 for adult general admission and $5 for youth/student/senior citizen general admission. Fans can order tickets for the second and third round games online at VirginiaSports.com and by phone through the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office at 800-542-UVA1 (8821) or 434-924-UVA1 (8821). Tickets are also available at the gate beginning one hour prior to the start of play each day.
Cash parking will be available both days for $5 in the University Hall, McCue Center and John Paul Jones Arena lots, and free parking will be available in the Emmet/Ivy Parking Garage.
MATCH NOTES
• Penn State faces Wake Forest in the second round of the NCAA Tournament
• The Lions are 0-2-0 vs. the Demon Deacons all-time and 0-1 in the postseason
• WFU defeated PSU 4-2 in the third round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament
• The Blue and White are 11-4-0 in NCAA second round matches
• PSU owns a 4-3-1 record at neutral sites during the NCAA Tournament
• Penn State ranks in the top five in the nation in three categories
• Hayes named Senior CLASS Award finalist
• Costa nets career-high 10th goal of the season
• Five Big Ten teams advance to NCAA second round
SCOUTING WAKE FOREST
Wake Forest enters Friday's match at 11-6-2 overall. The Demon Deacons have advanced to the second round for the ninth time in program history after defeating Morehead State, 2-0, in the first round last Saturday. WFU is 3-8-0 in second round games all-time, most recently defeating Boston University, 2-0, in the 2011 tournament.
The Deacs are lead by Riley Ridgik and Ally Berry. Ridkis has notched a team-high 11 goals to go along with four assists while Berry has tallied five assists and four goals. Goalkeeper Aubrey Bledsoe leads WFU between the pipes, having registered 70 saves and seven shutouts for a goals-against average of .860.
SERIES HISTORY vs. THE DEACS
The Nittany Lions and the Demon Deacons have met just twice before with Wake Forest taking away wins on both occasions.
PSU fell to WFU, 4-2, in the third round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament in the most recent meeting between the two programs.
The Lions have posted a 34-17-1 record against current members of the ACC with the most recent victory coming against Florida State last season, 2-1, in the NCAA Tournament semifinals.
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Penn State is appearing in its 19th straight NCAA Tournament this season. 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 have hosted 37 NCAA Tournament games on Jeffrey Field and boast a dominant 30-6-1 record at home. Penn State is 13-3 in first round matches and owns an overall tournament record of 37-17-2.
LIONS FLY BY HAWKS IN NCAA OPENER
Penn State earned a 3-0 shutout victory over Monmouth last Friday on Jeffrey Field in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Senior Tani Costa found the back of the net twice, earning her ninth and 10th goals of the season, and Whitney Church added another goal for the Lions. Goalkeeper Britt Eckerstrom collected six saves for the third consecutive game en route to PSU's sixth shutout of the season. The redshirt sophomore has corralled 90 total saves this year. Penn State is now 13-3 in NCAA first round matches.
COSTA TALLIES CAREER HIGH
Senior Tani Costa found the back of the net twice in the first round match vs. Monmouth last Friday, tallying her ninth and 10th goals of the season. The 10 goals is the most ever for the forward, surpassing her previous career high of nine goals from 2010.
OFFENSIVE POWER
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 five in three different categories. The Blue and White are third in points (7.95), rank fourth in scoring offense (2.73) and are tied for fifth in assists (2.50).
DOUBLING UP
With Maya Hayes at 19 goals and Tani Costa at 10 goals this season, the Lions have now had at least two players in double digits in goals for the three straight seasons. Last season, Christine Nairn (17), Hayes (16) and Mallory Weber (13) reached double figures and in 2011 Hayes (31) and Taylor Schram (12) posted double figures.
FIVE B1G TEAMS ADVANCE TO 2ND ROUND
Just three of the Big Ten Conference-record eight NCAA qualifying teams fell in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, putting five B1G squads in second round match-ups. Penn State, Nebraska, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois have each advanced to the second round and will play on Friday with hopes to move on to the Sweet 16 on Sunday.