Dec. 5, 2015
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - For the second time in the past four seasons, the Penn State women's soccer team will be playing for a national championship. No. 6 Penn State and No. 20 Duke will take to the field at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C., Sunday, Dec. 6, at noon live on ESPNU for the 2015 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship.
FOLLOW ALONG
The match against Duke will be televised on ESPNU and fans can follow along with live stats via GoPSUsports.com.
ON THE CALL
Glenn Davis (play-by-play) and Julie Foudy (color analyst) will be on the call for Sunday's match against Duke.
SCOUTING DUKE (14-5-5, 4-3-3)
Duke enters the championship match after topping No. 2 Florida State, 2-0, in the College Cup semifinal.
The 2015 College Cup marks the third appearance in program history by Duke. Duke advanced to the College Cup in 1992 and 2011. The 2011 team fell in the national title match.
The Blue Devils have played three-straight games against a ranked opponent (No. 5 Florida, No. 3 Stanford and No. 2 Florida State).
Taylor Racioppi leads the Blue Devil attack with 20 points followed by Kayla McCoy (18).
McCoy's eight goals this season leads Duke, while Racioppi leads the team with six assists.
Keeper EJ Proctor has played all but 126:16 minutes in net this season for Duke. On the year, she has tallied 76 saves, posted a goals against average of 0.63 and only allowed 15 goals.
The Blue Devil keepers have combined for 14 shutouts on the season, including 11 solo shutouts from Proctor.
On the year, Duke has outscored the opposition, 24-8 in the first half of regulation, and 21-7 in the second half of regulation.
Against ranked teams this season, Duke has an overall record of 4-3-3.
Since falling to No. 15 Notre Dame, 1-0, on Oct. 25, Duke has posted a record of 5-0-1 and has outscored the opposition, 17-2.
Fifteen Blue Devils have tallied at least one point this season, including six Blue Devils with 10 or more points.
COMING FULL CIRCLE
Seniors Raquel Rodriguez and Mallory Weber started the 2012 College Cup Final as freshmen.
THE FINAL 32
Ten of the teams Penn State played in the regular season advanced to at least the second round of the NCAA Tournament, including four teams in the West Virginia regional.
During the regular season, Penn State played four teams who participated in the NCAA Quarterfinals (Duke, Rutgers, Stanford and West Virginia).
PSWS NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Nittany Lions enter the College Cup for the fifth time in program history and for the second time since 2012.
Penn State heads into the College Cup Final for the second time in program history (2012).
In program history, the Nittany Lions have a record of 5-4-1 in neutral NCAA Tournament matches.
Penn State has advanced to the College Cup five times (`99, `02, `05, `12 & `15).
The 2015 Nittany Lions have set a program record 19 goals in the 2015 NCAA Tournament. The previous mark was 17 by the 2005 club.
The 2015 squad has also opened the NCAA Tournament with five-straight shutouts for the first time in program history.
In 66 NCAA matches, the Nittany Lions have outscored the opposition, 150-70. Overall record - 45-19-2.
Penn State has an overall record of 4-1-0 in home matches in the NCAA quarterfinal round.
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.
HELLO AGAIN
The Nittany Lions have played four teams two or more times this season. Sunday's match against Duke marks the sixth rematch this season (5-0-0).
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 156-50-10 (.745).
Overall as a head coach, Coach Walsh has an overall record of 196-78-13 (.705).
ONE GOAL OR LESS
The Nittany Lions have held their opponents to one or goal less in the last 22 matches.
Penn State has only allowed two goals in a match twice this season, both times Penn State won 4-2.
For the first time since the 2004 season, the Nittany Lions have yet to concede a goal in seven-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 College Cup, 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 .40 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.
Schafer also ranks third in goals per game (.52) and fourth in points per game (1.20).
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 46 of the 63 goals scored this season and 41 of the 65 assists.
The Nittany Lion backline, comprised of one redshirt sophomore, two sophomores 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 College Cup final, Crouse ranks second on the team with 29 points and Weber ranks third on the team with 26 points.
NATIONAL HONORS
Brittany Basinger, Frannie Crouse, Britt Eckerstrom and Kaleigh Riehl were honored for their performances against No. 2 Stanford (9/11) and Santa Clara (9/13).
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.
Also, Eckerstrom was named the Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week and Riehl was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week.
Following the Northwestern (10/4) 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) (10/8) and Indiana (4-0) (10/11).
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 against Michigan (10/28), Riehl was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the second time in 2015 (9/15).
Ball received TopDrawerSoccer.com Team of the Week honors after a pair of shutout wins over Michigan (1-0) (11/6) and Rutgers (2-0) (11/8).
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 (11/20) and OSU (11/22).
Following the win over No. 4 West Virginia, Crouse, Emily Ogle and Riehl were named to the TopDrawerSoccer Team of the Week.
NSCAA HONORS
Prior to the 2015 College Cup, five Nittany Lions were named to the 2015 NSCAA All-Great Lakes Region Teams, including Raquel Rodriguez who was named to the NSCAA All-America First Team.
Along with Rodriguez, Emily Ogle and Megan Schafer were named to the All-Great Lakes First Team, while Britt Eckerstrom and Mallory Weber were named to the second team.
BALANCED ATTACK
Thirteen Nittany Lions have tallied goals in the 2015 campaign, which includes 11 Nittany Lions with multiple goals.
Also, seventeen Nittany Lions have tallied at least one point this season.
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 32-4 in the first 45 minutes of play and they have out-shot the opposition, 220-76.
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.
50 IN A ROW
With her 26 starts in the 2015 season, sophomore Emily Ogle has started all 50 matches of her Nittany Lion career.
ACTIVE LEADERS
Heading into the NCAA quarterfinals, among active student-athletes in the NCAA, Mallory Weber tied for third in games played (96), tied for 18th in points (100), tied for ninth in assists (28) and 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 26 matches this season for the Blue and White.
Out of 2,380 minutes, eight Nittany Lions have played at least 1,721 minutes (72.3 percent).
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.
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 (191), seventh all-time in goals (63) and third all-time in assists (65).
SOPHOMORE STANDOUT
In her sophomore season, Megan Schafer has tallied 13 goals in 26 games. She has also added four assists on the year.
Schafer has scored a goal in nine of the past 16 matches. She also has tallied at least one point in 11 of the past 16 matches.
Last season, Schafer scored six goals and tallied five assists in 24 games.
#VOTEWEBER
Senior Mallory Weber 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.
WHAT A WIN WOULD MEAN...
- Penn State women's soccer first NCAA title
- The first NCAA women's soccer title by a Big Ten team
- A 22 win season for PSU (first since 2005)
- No. 399 for Penn State
- No. 197 for Coach Walsh
- No. 23 in the NCAA Tournament for Coach
- Britt Eckerstrom could tie the single-season record set by Erin McLeod (22 - 2005)
- Britt Eckerstrom could capture her 61st career win (second all-time)
CAPTAIN CLUTCH
After posting a five-point weekend against Hofstra (8/21) and Loyola Marymount (8/23) during the first weekend of the season, senior Mallory Weber followed up her performance with a three-point weekend against Duke (8/28) and Arkansas (8/30).
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 0.53 this season, which ranks third all-time at Penn State.
In 2007, the Blue and White tallied a GAA of 0.61, which ranks fourth at PSU.
The 14 shutouts by the Nittany Lion defense is tied for third all-time in the Penn State record books (2011).
WATCH OUT FOR ROCKY
Senior midfielder Raquel Rodriguez was named as a MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist, as announced by the NSCAA on Dec. 1.
The 15 semifinalists will be narrowed down to three finalists and the winner will be announced on Jan. 8, 2016.
HOME SWEET HOME
Jeffery Field has been a tough place for opponents to play as the Nittany Lions boast an all-time record of 213-24-10 at home.
The 2015 Penn State women's soccer team tied a program-best 14 home wins (2005 & 2006).
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 36-6-1 in NCAA Tournament matches at Jeffrey Field.
Penn State has out-scored the opposition 122-31 in 43 matches at home in NCAA play.
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.
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.
#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 (21,856).
On Nov. 28, Penn State set a single-season attendance record of 21,856 fans. The previous mark was held by the 2012 season (20, 811).
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.
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.
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 leads the Nittany Lion contingent among the TopDrawerSoccer Top-100 midseason upperclassmen list. Rodriguez checks in at sixth, followed by Emily Ogle (26th), Mallory Weber (34th), Frannie Crouse (60th) and Elizabeth Ball (76th).
Among TopDrawerSoccer's Midseason Top-100 Freshmen list, Kaleigh Riehl ranks sixth, Ellie Jean checks in at 16th and Alina Ortega-Jurado is 83rd.
#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.