Nov. 25, 2015
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 1-seeded Penn State women's soccer team hosts the No. 2-seeded West Virginia Mountaineers in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament Saturday, Nov. 28, at 4 p.m. at Jeffrey Field. The winner will advance to the 2015 College Cup hosted in Cary, N.C., Dec. 4-6
FOLLOW ALONG
Live stats and video will be provided via GoPSUsports.com.
TICKET INFORMATION
Ticket prices are: $8 for adults, $5 for youth and Penn State students, also groups of 20 or more can buy $3 tickets.
Ticket sales at the gate are cash only.
SCOUTING WEST VIRGINIA (19-2-1, 6-0-1)
West Virginia enters the NCAA quarterfinal round riding a three-game winning streak.
The Mountaineers last lost on Nov. 6 in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament against No. 18 Texas Tech, 1-0. Earlier in the year, WVU topped No. 13 Texas Tech, 4-1, in Lubbock, Texas.
West Virginia has set a program-record with 19 victories this season.
Kailey Utley and Michaela Abam lead the WVU attack with 12 goals apiece. Ashley Lawrence leads the team with her eight assists.
In net, Hannah Steadman has played all but 125:12 minutes this season for West Virginia. Steadman has tallied 12 solo shutouts and played in three more shutouts.
In 22 games, Stedman has only made 39 saves and allowed nine goals. She has tallied a save percentage of .812 and a goals against average of .43.
The WVU defense has held the opposition to three goals in the first half of matches and six goals during the final half of regulation.
WVU enters the match averaging 24.1 shots per game, while the West Virginia defense is holding teams to 5.9 shots per game.
WVU's 24.1 shots per game lead the NCAA this season.
THE FINAL 32
Ten of the teams Penn State played in the regular season have advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, including four teams in the West Virginia regional.
On Friday, West Virginia hosted Northwestern, while Loyola Marymount played Minnesota.
150 WINS WITH PSU
On Nov. 6, Coach Walsh won her 150th match as the head coach of the Penn State women's soccer program.
In her time as the Nittany Lion head coach, Walsh has tallied an overall record of 154-50-10 (.742).
PSWS NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Nittany Lions enter the NCAA quarterfinals for the 11th time in program history and for the third time since 2012.
Penn State has advanced to the College Cup four times ('99, '02, '05 & '12).
Penn State has an overall record of 3-1-0 in home matches in the NCAA quarterfinal round.
The 15 goals in the 2015 NCAA Tournament by the Nittany Lions ranks second in program history only to the 2005 team that tallied 17 goals in five matches.
The 2015 squad has also opened the NCAA Tournament with three-straight shutouts for the first time in program history.
In 64 NCAA matches, the Nittany Lions have outscored the opposition, 146-70. Overall record - 43-19-2.
According to CollegeSoccer360.com, Penn State is one of 10 teams to advance to the quarterfinal round 10 or more times since 1982 - All 11 appearances for PSU are since 1998.
ONE GOAL OR LESS
The Nittany Lions have held their opponents to one or goal less in the last 20 matches.
Penn State has only allowed two goals in match twice this season, both times Penn State won 4-2.
For the first time since the 2006 season, the Nittany Lions have yet to concede a goal in five-straight matches.
AMONG THE BEST OF THE B1G
Megan Schafer and Mallory Weber have established themselves as two of the top forwards in the Big Ten this season.
In the Big Ten rankings heading into the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament, Weber ranks in the top-five in points, assists, assists per game and game-winning goals.
Weber's 10 assists this season leads the Big Ten. She also leads the conference with .42 assists per game.
Schafer leads the conference in points and goals. She has also tallied six game-winning goals, which is tied for first in the Big Ten.
As a team, the Nittany Lions lead the Big Ten in points, assists, assists per game, goals, goals per game and shots.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
The Nittany Lion underclassmen have accounted for 42 of the 59 goals scored this season and 40 of the 64 assists.
The Nittany Lion backline, comprised of one redshirt sophomore, one sophomore and two freshmen, have only allowed 14 goals on the season.
REPEATING HISTORY
Last season, Frannie Crouse and Mallory Weber led the team with 22 points apiece.
Heading into the match, Weber ranks second on the team with 26 points and Crouse ranks third with 25 points.
NATIONAL HONORS
Brittany Basinger and Frannie Crouse were honored nationally for their performances against No. 2 Stanford and Santa Clara.
Basinger was named to the TopDrawerSoccer.com Team of the Week, while Crouse was named the espnW Player of the Week.
Along with the espnW Player of the Week honors, Crouse received honors from the Big Ten.
Following the Northwestern victory, Elizabeth Ball was named to the TopDrawerSoccer.com Team of the Week for her defensive efforts.
Ball was also named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week following a pair of shutout victories over Maryland (1-0) and Indiana (4-0).
Marissa Sheva was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week for netting the game-winning goal in a 2-1 victory over Ohio State on Oct. 24.
After playing 71 minutes and tallying an assist in the regular season finale, Kaleigh Riehl was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the second time in 2015.
Ball received TopDrawerSoccer.com Team of the Week honors after a pair of shutout wins over Michigan (1-0) and Rutgers (2-0).
Ball tallied the game-winning goal against Rutgers and played in all but 13 minutes in between the two matches.
Megan Schafer was named to the TopDrawerSoccer Team of the Week after tallying five-point weekend against BU and OSU.
BALANCED ATTACK
Twelve Nittany Lions have tallied goals in the 2015 campaign, which includes 11 Nittany Lions with multiple goals.
FAST START
Against UAlbany, Megan Schafer tallied the fastest goal on the season (5:00). Raquel Rodriguez scored at the 5:25 mark against Indiana on Oct. 11.
POUNCING FIRST
In the 2015 season, the Nittany Lions have out-scored their opponents 29-4 in the first 45 minutes of play and they have out-shot the opposition, 211-70.
THE POLLS
Heading into the NCAA Tournament, the Penn State women's soccer team currently ranked second in the NCAA RPI, fourth in the TopDrawerSoccer Poll, sixth in the NSCAA Coaches' Poll and 11th in the Soccer America Top-25 Poll.
ACTIVE LEADERS
Heading into the weekend, among active student-athletes in the NCAA, Mallory Weber is tied for third in games played (96), is tied for 18th in points (100), is tied for ninth in assists (28) and she is also one of 12 student-athletes to have tallied 30 goals and 20 assists.
Also in the active leaderboards, Raquel Rodriguez is tied for ninth with 28 assists.
USUAL SUSPECTS
Six Nittany Lions have started all 24 matches this season for the Blue and White.
Out of 2200 minutes, eight Nittany Lions have played at least 1600 minutes (72.7 percent).
48 IN A ROW
With her 24 starts in the 2015 season, sophomore Emily Ogle has started all 48 matches of her Nittany Lion career.
EXTRA TIME
In the hard fought double overtime match against the No. 21 Duke Blue Devils on Aug. 28, seven Nittany Lions played the full 110 minutes.
SMART LIONS
For their hard work and dedication in the classroom, seniors Britt Eckerstrom and Raquel Rodriguez were named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Two First Team.
Eckerstrom and Rodriguez are the 16th and 17th Nittany Lions to be named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team since 2000.
SOPHOMORE STANDOUT
In her sophomore season, Megan Schafer has tallied 13 goals in 24 games. She has also added four assists on the year.
Schafer has scored in nine of the past 14 matches. She also has tallied at least one point in 11 of the past 14 matches.
Last season, Schafer scored six goals and tallied five assists in 24 games.
#VOTEWEBER
Senior Mallory Weber (Novi, Mich.) was tabbed as a finalist for the 2015 Soccer News Net College Boot award, which recognizes the top female collegiate soccer student-athlete.
Fans from across the nation will be able to vote for the top collegiate women's soccer student-athlete. Voting is now underway and will continue until Dec. 16.
CAPTAIN CLUTCH
After posting a five-point weekend against Hofstra and LMU during the first weekend of the season, senior Mallory Weber followed up her performance with a three-point weekend against Duke and Arkansas.
Weber, held pointless against the No. 21 Duke Blue Devils, notched a goal and an assist in a 4-2 win over Arkansas.
Weber has tallied four game-winning goals this season.
All-time at Penn State, Weber ranks 10th in goals (36), 10th in points (100) and tied for seventh in assists (28).
Weber recorded at least one point a game over a six-game span from Sept. 25-Oct. 15.
She has recorded three matches this season with one goal and one assist.
On Nov. 13, Weber became the 10th Nittany Lion to tally 100 career points.
DEFENSE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS
The Nittany Lion defense has posted a goals against average of .57 this season, which ranks third all-time at Penn State.
In 2007, the Blue and White tallied a GAA of .61, which ranks fourth at PSU.
HISTORIC OFFENSE
The Nittany Lions are also moving up the charts in the all-time Penn State offensive charts.
The 2015 team ranks seventh all-time in points (182), eighth all-time in goals (59) and third all-time in assists (64).
SIXTEEN GOING ON SEVENTEEN
The Nittany Lions captured a share of their 17th Big Ten title in program history in 2015.
Penn State has won 17 of the last 18 Big Ten regular season titles.
The 17 Big Ten titles won by the Penn State women's soccer team is the third-most most titles won by any one women's sport program in the Big Ten.
HOME SWEET HOME
Jeffery Field has been a tough place for opponents to play as the Nittany Lions boast an all-time record of 212-24-10 at home.
In Big Ten play at Jeffrey Field, the Nittany Lions own a record of 96-6-4. The Nittany Lions have tallied seven undefeated seasons at Jeffrey Field.
The Nittany Lions have a record of 35-6-1 in NCAA Tournament matches at Jeffrey Field.
Penn State has out-scored the opposition 120-31 in 42 matches at home in NCAA play.
#PACKTHEJEFF
In their season-opening homestand, the Nittany Lions drew two top-10 crowds in program history.
In the season-opener, 3,175 fans made their way to Jeffrey Field to cheer on the Nittany Lions. At the time, that was fourth-largest crowd to attend a women's soccer match at Jeffrey Field. A week later, against No. 21 Duke, 4,207 fans packed Jeffrey Field for the second-largest crowd in program history.
As of Nov. 23, Penn State ranks 13th in average attendance (1,383) in the NCAA.
For the second time in program history, the Nittany Lions have eclipsed the 20,000 attendance mark (20,739).
Penn State is 72 fans shy of setting a single-season attendance mark, which was set in 2012 (20,811).
BACK-TO-BACK NO. 2 CLASSES
According to TopDrawerSoccer, the Nittany Lions have signed the number two recruiting class in the last two years. The 2014 class featured the 2014 Big Ten Freshman of the Year Emily Ogle and Frannie Crouse, who led the Nittany Lions with 10 goals. The 2015 class features nine newcomers, including eight freshmen and one transfer.
PRESEASON FAVORITES
According to the 2015 Big Ten Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll, the Penn State women's soccer team was selected to finish first. The Nittany Lions have sat atop the Big Ten preseason poll every season since the poll began in 2003.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Three players from each Big Ten team were named Big Ten Women's Soccer Preseason Players to Watch, with seniors Britt Eckerstrom, Raquel Rodriguez and Mallory Weber representing the Nittany Lion Blue and White. This is Rodriguez's third-straight appearance on the Preseason Players to Watch list.
WATCH OUT FOR ROCKY
Senior midfielder Raquel Rodriguez was named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List, as announced by the NSCAA in early August.
The 28 candidates named to the watch list in August will be narrowed down throughout the season with the winner being announced on Jan. 8, 2016.
MIDSEASON HONORS
Eight Nittany Lions were named to TopDrawerSoccer's Top-100 midseason lists, with three named among the top-100 freshmen and five named to the top-100 upperclassmen list. The top-100 upperclassmen list is comprised of the top sophomores, juniors and seniors in NCAA women's soccer.
Raquel Rodriguez (San Jose, Costa Rica) leads the Nittany Lion contingent among the TopDrawerSoccer Top-100 midseason upperclassmen list. Rodriguez checks in at sixth, followed by Emily Ogle (Strongsville, Ohio) (26th), Mallory Weber (Novi, Mich.) (34th), Frannie Crouse (Greensburg, Pa.) (60th) and Elizabeth Ball (Richmond, Va.) (76th).
Among TopDrawerSoccer's Midseason Top-100 Freshmen list, Kaleigh Riehl (Fairfax Station, Va.) ranks sixth, Ellie Jean (Coventry, Conn.) checks in at 16th and Alina Ortega-Jurado (Wetzlar, Germany) is 83rd.
HOMETOWN TIES
Senior Megan Ritchey and freshman Taylor Campbell-Phipps didn't have to travel a long distance as they made the transition from high school to college.
Both Ritchey and Campbell-Phipps call State College, Pa., home as they both attended State College Area high school.
#PSWS IN THE #2015WWC
The Penn State women's soccer program was represented by five Nittany Lions representing three countries in the 2015 Women's World Cup.
Former Penn State women's soccer players, Ali Krieger '06 and Alyssa Naeher '09 became the first Nittany Lions to win a World Cup as part of a senior national team as they helped the U.S. to a 5-2 victory over Japan in the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup final.
Carmelina Moscato '05 and Erin McLeod '05 helped Canada to reach the quarterfinal round before being eliminated by England. The pair helped the host country to advance out of Group A and defeat Switzerland in the Round of 16.
Raquel Rodriguez won't forget about the summer of 2015 for quite some time. During the summer of 2015, Rodriguez represented her home country of Costa Rica in the Women's World Cup.
In Costa Rica's debut at the Women's World Cup, Costa Rican and Penn State women's soccer history was made just 74 seconds after Spain scored its first World Cup goal. In the 14th minute, Rodriguez received a cross in the box from Lixy Rodriguez, and she lobbed in a left footed shot at the right post for the 1-1 equalizer. Rodriguez's goal was her 24th as a member of Costa Rican's Women's National Team, a team-best.
UP NEXT
The winner will advance to the College Cup to play the winner of Rutgers and Virginia on Dec. 4 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C., at 7:30 p.m. on ESPNU.