| PENN STATE VS. BUCKNELL | |
| Tues., Sept. 23 - 7 p.m. ET | |
| Jeffrey Field | University Park, Pa. | |
| Promotion: $1 Hot Dogs | |
| GAME DAY LINKS |
TV: ESPN2 -->Live StreamWomen's Soccer BlogFollow Us: @PennStateWSOC | Facebook | InstagramGameday Central
Game Notes: Penn State | BucknellStatistics: Penn State | Bucknell
| INSIDE THE NUMBERS | ||
| PSU | BU | |
| 21 | Goals | 17 |
| 2.6 | Goals per Game | 1.9 |
| 114 | Shots | 148 |
| 14.3 | Shots per Game | 16.4 |
| 1-2 | Penalty Kicks | 1-1 |
| 7 | Goals Against | 11 |
| 0.86 | Goals Against Average | 1.21 |
| 23 | Saves | 42 |
| .767 | Save Percentage | .792 |
| 3 | Shutouts | 3 |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 8 Penn State women's soccer team (7-1-0, 3-0 Big Ten) host Bucknell on Tues., Sept. 23, with a 7 p.m. start time, the second match in a four-game Nittany Lion homestand.
FEELIN' SO RIGHT ON FRIDAY NIGHT
The Nittany Lions scored a season-high five goals against Ohio State on Fri., Sept. 19 and beat the Buckeyes, 5-1. Penn State lengthened its perfect record to start Big Ten play, thanks to a two-goal game by freshman Frannie Crouse (Greensburg, Pa.) and Salina Williford's (Wayne, Pa.) first career goal, the gamewinner.
GOING THROUGH THE RANKS
The Nittany Lions' 7-1 start has shown that they're one of the best teams in the nation. As of Sept. 22, in three of the four national collegiate women's soccer polls, Penn State is ranked in the top-10: seventh in the Bennett Rank, and eighth in the NSCAA weekly poll and TopDrawerSoccer.com's list.
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
The Nittany Lions take home field advantage to the next level. The team is 194-22-9 all-time at Jeffrey Field, losing just two matches in the past three seasons and shutting out visitors in 17 of 36 matches.
CROUSE CROWNED BIG TEN FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
After scoring a pair of goals in a 5-1 win over Ohio State on Sept, 19, Frannie Crouse (Greensburg, Pa.) garnered Big Ten Women's Soccer Freshman of the Week honors. Crouse scored her second two goals of the year and took a team best four shots, all of which were on goal, against the Buckeyes. She found the back of the net just over two minutes in to put the No. 8 Nittany Lions on the board. Her second goal was off of a breakaway at the 64-minute mark.
SCOUTING THE BISON
The Bison (5-4, 0-1 Patriot) are coming off of a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to Army after the Black Nights scored an 89th-minute penalty kick, cutting short a four-game Bucknell winning streak. During the run, the Bison outscored its opponents, 11-2. Kendall Ham is leading the team's offensive charge with four goals and 11 shots on goal. Starting goalkeeper Jessie Ashworth is posting a 1.20 goals against average and .783 goals against average with 36 saves.
SERIES HISTORY vs. BUCKNELL
Penn State holds a 17-0-1 all-time unbeaten record against the Bison. Last season, the Nittany Lions beat the Bison, 6-0, thanks to a two-goal game by Mallory Weber (Novi, Mich.) and Raquel Rodriguez's (San Jose, Costa Rica) three assists.
SHUTTING OUT THE COMPETITION
The 2014 Nittany Lions have proven to be one of the best defensive teams in recent history. They became the first team in program history to shut out opponents in a two-game Big Ten opening weekend. The 2014 team is also the first squad since 2008 to open Big Ten play with consecutive shutouts after its 1-0 and 3-0 wins over Purdue and Indiana.
HOT START HEATS UP RECORD BOOKS
Penn State's 7-1 start is even more impressive when flipping through the program record book. This year's team has begun the season with the best record since 2005, when the Blue and White achieved the program's first and only undefeated season to date (23-0-2), eventually falling in the Women's College Cup to Portland on penalty kicks (4-3).
SPREADING THE WEALTH
Penn State has threatened opponents up and down the lineup to begin the 2014 campaign. The team's 21 goals, (3.0 per game, a Big Ten best) have come from 10 different players and eight Nittany Lions have at least one assist. Mallory Weber (Novi, Mich.), Raquel Rodriguez (San Jose, Costa Rica) and Frannie Crouse (Greenburg, Pa.) have each scored a team-best four goals.
ROCKING THE BOAT
Raquel Rodriguez (San Jose, Costa Rica) is riding a four-game goal scoring streak for the team lead. She got the gamewinners against Duke and Purdue and found the back of the net against Indiana to earn an honorable mention for the TopDrawerSoccer.com Women's Team of the Week after the opening Big Ten weekend. Against Ohio State, the junior capped off Penn State's 5-1 win with her fourth goal.
FRESHMEN ON FIRE
The Nittany Lions' freshmen have proven to be major contributors during the 2014 campaign. Emily Ogle (Strongsville, Ohio), Frannie Crouse (Greensburg, Pa.), Elizabeth Ball (Richmond, Va.) and Maddie Elliston (Omaha, Neb.) have started every game, while Haleigh Echard (Lebanon, Pa.) and Katy Keen (Zionsville, Ind.) have played as reserves every match. Megan Schafer (Langhorne, Pa.), started one match and has come off of the bench in every other game. Crouse is in a three-way tie with four goals scored, and Ogle and Schafer have each garnered weekly honors.
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.