Nov. 7, 2013
Game Notes | Iowa Game Notes | Tournament Central | | Senior CLASS Award Voting
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The No. 20 Penn State women's soccer team will continue its journey for a sixth Big Ten Tournament Championship on Friday when it faces seventh-seeded Iowa in the semifinals. The noon (ET) game will air live on the Big Ten Network.
MATCH NOTES
• Third-seeded PSU takes on seventh-seeded Iowa in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament on Friday
• Penn State shut out Wisconsin, 2-0, in the quarterfinals on Wednesday
• The Lions are looking for their sixth-ever Big Ten Tournament Title
• Penn State defeated Iowa 2-0 in the quarterfinals of the tournament last season
• The Lions are 3-0-0 vs. the Hawkeyes in the conference tournament
• PSU owns a 19-1-0 record against U of I all-time
• The Blue and White fell to Iowa, 3-2, earlier this season
• Six Nittany Lions earn All-Big Ten accolades
• The Lions lead the conference in every offensive category
SCOUTING IOWA
Iowa enters Friday's semifinal match at 14-5-1 after defeating Michigan, 1-0, in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday. The win over Michigan marked U of I's first postseason victory in program history.
Iowa's offensive attack is led by junior Cloe Lacasse, who has posted a team-high six goals and seven assists. Hannah Clark leads the Hawkeyes between the pipes, having notched nine shutouts on 65 saves and a goals-against average of 0.98.
SERIES HISTORY vs. THE HAWKEYES
The Blue and White are 19-1-0 against U of I all-time and 3-0-0 against the Hawkeyes in the conference tournament. The two teams last met in the conference tournament last season in a match that PSU won by a count of 2-0.
Penn State dropped its first-ever match to Iowa earlier this season, falling to the Hawkeyes 3-2. Friday's meeting will be just the third neutral site match-up between the two teams and the first since the 2007 Big Ten Tournament, when PSU overpowered Iowa 3-1.
PENN STATE NO. 20 IN NSCAA POLL
After 11 weeks of action, the Penn State women's soccer team ranks 20th overall according to the NSCAA rankings. Michigan (7) and Nebraska (18) also represent the Big Ten in the poll while Wisconsin and Indiana are just outside of the Top 25, receiving votes.
LEADING THE LEAGUE
The Blue and White currently lead the conference in every offensive category. They are No. 1 in goals (57), goals per game (2.85), assists (51), assists per game (2.55), points (165) and shots (359). Penn State is also in the top five in the nation in points (3rd), scoring offense (4th) and assists (T5th).
LAST TIME OUT
The No. 20 Penn State women's soccer team used goals from Taylor Schram and Mallory Weber en route to a 2-0 victory over Wisconsin in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday afternoon.
Wisconsin outshot PSU 12-8 but could not get past goalkeeper Britt Eckerstrom, who collected six saves in the Lions' second-straight shutout.
Schram got things started early for the Nittany Lions, netting her fifth goal of the season in the 11th minute of action. The senior received the ball in the center of the box on a cross from Emily Hurd and fired it in to give Penn State a 1-0 lead.
Weber extended the Lions' lead and posted her seventh goal of the year just over a minute later. Tani Costa sent a left-sided cross to the center of the box, where Weber was waiting, and the sophomore tapped it to put PSU up 2-0.
The Badgers controlled the momentum throughout the second half, holding the Lions to just three more shots, but could not find the back of the net as Eckerstrom and the Penn State backline picked up their fifth shutout of the season.
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.
HAYES COLLECTS B1G WEEKLY LAURELS
Penn State senior Maya Hayes has been named the Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week, along with Iowa's Cloe Lacasse, for her efforts against Michigan State last Friday. The forward found the back of the net twice to lead the Blue and White to a 3-0 victory over the Spartans in each team's regular season finale. The award is the ninth Big Ten weekly honor in three seasons for Hayes and the fifth this season for Penn State. Hayes has claimed the award three times while Raquel Rodriguez and Whitney Church have also been selected.
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.