May 18, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; May 18, 2015 - The Penn State women's soccer team, the reigning Big Ten champions, have released a challenging 2015 slate that features four 2014 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament participants, all of whom advanced to the second round of the tournament.
"It is the philosophy of the Penn State program to challenge ourselves as much as possible from August to October in order to prepare for success in November and December," 2014 Big Ten Coach of the Year Erica Walsh said. "We continue to seek out the best competition and look forward to playing against some of the top programs in the country."
Penn State exhibitions Army West Point at Jeffrey Field August 15. The Black Knights produced a 7-9-3 record in 2014.
The Nittany Lions open the regular season with a four-game homestand, starting with the Penn State Tournament August 21-23. Penn State hosts Loyola Marymount, Rutgers and Hofstra, kicking off the 2015 campaign against Hofstra on August 21 and facing Loyola Marymount on August 23. The Pride advanced to the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament championship game, finishing the year with a 13-7-1 record. The Lions went 10-7-2 in 2014, but struggled in West Coast Conference play, yielding a 2-6-1 mark.
The Blue and White follow the tournament with two non-conference night contests, welcoming Duke on August 28 and Arkansas on August 30. The Blue Devils will return nine of its starters from a 2014 campaign that saw the team go 8-9-1. The Razorbacks earned their second-straight NCAA Tournament bid last season, eventually falling to Stanford 1-0 in the Sweet 16.
Penn State travels to the San Francisco Bay Area the next weekend, visiting Stanford on September 11 and Santa Clara on September 13. The Cardinal advanced to the College Cup for the sixth time in seven seasons in 2014, finishing off the year with a No. 3 national ranking. The Broncos posted a 14-6 last year but did not receive a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in 26 seasons.
The Big Ten season begins on September 17 on Jeffrey Field against 2014 Big Ten Tournament Champion Wisconsin. Minnesota then visits Happy Valley on September 20. The Golden Gophers returns 20-of-23 members of the 2014 team that went 11-9-1 and 7-5-1 in league play.
The Nittany Lions venture to Nebraska for their first road conference match of the season on September 25. The Huskers, who recorded 8-9-2 overall and 4-7-2 conference marks last year, open the Nebraska Soccer and Tennis Complex in 2015. On September 27, the team visits Iowa. The Hawkeyes fell to No. 2-seeded Wisconsin in overtime, 1-0, in the Big Ten Tournament championship game.
The Blue and White travels to Northwestern on October 3. The No. 8-seeded Wildcats upset the Nittany Lions in the 2014 Big Ten Tournament, eventually falling to No. 5-seeded Iowa in semifinals.
A return to Jeffrey Field follows, with Penn State hosting Maryland on October 8 and Indiana on October 11. The Terrapins added Penn State alum Christine Nairn to their 2015 coaching staff as a volunteer assistant after a 5-7-6 showing, 3-5-5 in conference play, last season. The Hoosiers closed the 2014 campaign with consecutive shutouts, helping them to 7-11-1 overall and 3-9-1 Big Ten records.
The Nittany Lions will hit the road on October 15 and 18, traveling to Purdue on October 15 and Rutgers on October 18. The Boilermakers will take to the pitch with first-year head coach Drew Roff after a 6-11-2 campaign. The Scarlet Knights were one of three Big Ten teams to advance to the 2014 NCAA Tournament, finishing the season ranked No. 25 nationally.
Penn State faces Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio, on October 24 for its final Big Ten road match of the season. The Buckeyes put together a 6-10-3 record in 2014, going 3-7-3 in league action.
The Blue and White concludes the regular season with a home contest against Michigan on October 28. The Wolverines posted a 12-5-3 record last season, falling to Minnesota 1-0 in double overtime in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.
The Big Ten Tournament begins on November 1, with the top-4 seeds hosting quarterfinal matches and the highest seeds hosting the semifinal and championship matches. The NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament will start on November 13.
Dates and times for all matches are subject to change. Tickets and parking for matches at Jeffrey Field is free of charge.