Aug. 19, 2014
| PENN STATE INVITATIONAL | |
| Friday, Aug. 22 - Sunday, Aug. 24 | |
| Jeffrey Field | University Park, Pa. | |
| PENN STATE VS. WEST VIRGINIA | |
| Friday, Aug. 22 - 7:30 p.m. ET | |
| Jeffrey Field | University Park, Pa. | |
| GAME DAY LINKS |
TV: ESPN2 -->Women's Soccer BlogFollow Us: @PennStateWSOC | Facebook | Instagram
Gameday Central
Game Notes: Penn State | West Virginia
| PENN STATE VS. SYRACUSE | |
| Sunday, Aug. 24 - 2:30 p.m. ET | |
| Jeffrey Field | University Park, Pa. | |
| GAME DAY LINKS |
TV: ESPN2 -->Women's Soccer BlogFollow Us: @PennStateWSOC | Facebook | Instagram
Gameday Central
Game Notes: Penn State | Syracuse
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women's soccer team is set to host the Penn State Invitational, featuring West Virginia, Syracuse and Missouri. The Nittany Lions open their season on Friday with a 7:30 p.m. match against the Mountaineers. Penn State then hosts Syracuse on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Syracuse and Missouri play at 5 p.m. on Friday, while Missouri and West Virginia face off at 12 p.m. on Sunday.
PENN STATE NO. 24 IN NSCAA POLL
The Nittany Lions open the 2014 season ranked No. 24, according to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) NCAA Women's Division I Preseason Rankings.
Penn State appeared in its 19th-straight NCAA Tournament in 2013, closing out the season with a 15-7-1 overall record. The team is in search of its 16th Big Ten title and 20th-consecutive NCAA Tournament berth in 2014 with a challenging slate. Five regular season opponents open the season ranked in the top-25, including No. 4 North Carolina, No. 7 Michigan, No. 12 West Virginia, No. 13 Nebraska and No. 18 Duke.
LIONS PICKED TO WIN BIG TEN
Penn State was tabbed to win the Big Ten regular season title, according to the 2014 Big Ten Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll. Wisconsin and Maryland earned the second- and third-most votes, respectively. The Nittany Lions have sat atop the poll every season since the poll began in 2003.
Three players from each Big Ten team were named Big Ten Women's Soccer Preseason Players to Watch, with senior Emily Hurd (Sammamish, Wash.) and juniors Mallory Weber (Novi, Mich.) and Raquel Rodriguez (San Jose, Costa Rica) representing the Blue and White. This is Rodriguez's second-straight appearance on the Preseason Players to Watch list.
CHURCH NAMED TO MAC HERMANN TROPHY WATCH LIST
Penn State senior Whitney Church (Ashburn, Va.) was named to the 2014 Women's Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Award Watch List. This is Church's second-consecutive appearance on the Hermann Award Watch List.
Church is one of 35 female NCAA Division I players named to the list and one of two Big Ten female student-athletes selected. The senior was an NSCAA All-Great Lakes and All-Big Ten second team selection in 2013. A defender, Church logged the second-most minutes on the Nittany Lions, starting 21 of 23 games for 1,945 minutes.
The MAC Hermann Trophy, the highest individual award presented to a collegiate soccer player, is presented annually to one male and one female athlete. The winners will be announced Fri., Jan. 9, 2015, at the trophy presentation banquet at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis. Christie Welsh is the only Penn State student-athlete to win the award (2001).
LIONS ON THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE
Over the summer, sophomore Brittany Basinger (Purcellville, Va.) and freshman Rose Chandler (Atlanta, Ga.) represented the United States at the 2014 FIFA Under-20 Women's World Cup, hosted by Canada. Penn State Head Coach Erica Walsh was also a member of the U.S. U-20 Women's National Team, serving as an assistant coach. The U.S. U-20 team went 2-2 at the tournament, besting China PR and Brazil, and was eliminated after the Group stage after falling 3-1 to Korea DPR. This was Chandler's first appearance as a member of the U-20 team while Basinger was a member of the 2014 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship team.
Chandler, Basinger and Walsh won't be the only Lions to don their country's colors in 2014. Junior Raquel Rodriguez (San Jose, Costa Rica) is a member of the Costa Rican Women's National Team. Rodriguez will compete for Costa Rica at the 2014 CONCACAF Women's Championship in October in an attempt to qualify for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.
INCOMING FRESHMEN EXPECTED TO ROAR
Tabbed as the second-best freshman class by TopDrawerSoccer.com, Penn State's 11 incoming freshmen are expected to make a big splash this season. U.S. U-20 WNT goalkeeper Rose Chandler and 2014 Gatorade Players of the Year Maddie Elliston and Megan Schafer are part of an impressive first-year class that includes six NSCAA High School All-America honorees, NSCAA High School All-Region picks, members of the U.S. U-20 and U-18 Women's National Teams, conference players of the year and all-conference selections.
THE SCHEDULE
Penn State holds a record of 235-51-17 all-time against its 2014 opponents for an .804 win percentage. Against Big Ten foes, the Nittany Lions fair even better with a 202-39-14 record for a .820 win percentage.
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
The Penn State women's soccer team takes home field advantage to the next level when playing host. The team is 191-22-9 all-time at Jeffrey Field, losing just two matches in the past three seasons and shutting out visitors 16 times in 33 matches in that time.
SOCIAL MEDIA
For complete coverage of Penn State women's soccer, please visit http://www.GoPSUsports.com/sports/w-soccer. Follow PSU women's soccer on Twitter and Instagram: @PennStateWSOC. Penn State women's soccer is also on Facebook: www.facebook.com/PSUWomensSoccer.