Sept. 22, 2016
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women's soccer team (5-2-2, 1-0-1) returns home to Jeffrey Field to begin a three-match homestand Friday. The No. 16 Nittany Lions host the Iowa Hawkeyes (6-4-0, 0-2-0) Friday, Sept. 23, at 8 p.m. and the Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-3-0, 1-1-0) Sunday, Sept. 25, at 1 p.m.
FOLLOW ALONG
The Iowa match will be streamed on GoPSUsports.com for free, while fans will need a BTN Plus subscription to watch the Nebraska match. Live stats can be found on GoPSUsports.com.
ATTENDING JEFFREY FIELD
Admission and parking for women's soccer regular season events are free. Fans are reminded that there is a no bag policy in place on stadium grounds.
WEEKEND PROMOTIONS
The Iowa match kicks off the B1G Package for Penn State students. Penn State students that attend five of six Big Ten regular season contests will receive a Penn State women's soccer cell phone power bank.
Students must pick up their punch card at the marketing table located near the parking lot. Students are also reminded to present the punch card at five of the six women's soccer regular season games this season.
In between the men's and women's soccer games Friday there will be free pizza for Penn State students, while supplies last.
Sunday's match against Nebraska will be the final post-game autograph session in 2016 for the women's soccer team. The post-game autograph session is free and open to all fans.
LOOKING AT IOWA
The Iowa Hawkeyes started Big Ten play with a pair of 1-0 losses at home against Michigan (Sept. 16) and Michigan State (Sept. 18). After dropping the season opener at Creighton, 5-3, Iowa rattled off six-straight wins before losing its next three matches.
Offensively, the Hawkeyes are led by Bri Toelle who has 12 points on five goals and two assists in eight games played. Karly Stuenkel ranks second on the team in points with 11. On the year, Stuenkel has recorded four goals and three assists.
In net for the Hawkeyes, Claire Graves has recorded 40 saves, tallied two shutouts and allowed 15 goals.
LOOKING AT NEBRASKA
Prior to Nebraska's game on Sunday at Penn State, the Cornhuskers take on the Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus, Ohio, on Friday. Nebraska began Big Ten play with a 2-0 win against Michigan State (Sept. 16) and a 2-1 loss against the Michigan Wolverines (Sept. 18).
The Cornhuskers began the 2016 season with a pair of wins against Marquette (Aug. 19) and at BYU (Aug. 22). Nebraska's 1-0 win at BYU snapped the Cougars' 18-game home winning streak.
Nebraska has been led in 2016 by Haley Hanson and Jaycie Johnson as they have scored 11 points (5g, 1a) and 10 points (4g, 2a), respectively.
Aubrei Corder has played every second in net for the Cornhuskers during the 2016 season with 929:35 minutes played. On the year, Corder has recorded three shutouts, tallied 38 saves and allowed 12 goals.
WEEKEND REWIND
The Nittany Lions opened Big Ten play with a 1-0-1 record at No. 10 Minnesota and Wisconsin last weekend.
In the 1-1 draw against the Golden Gophers on Sept. 16, junior Megan Schafer tallied her 21st career goal and in net for the Nittany Lions, freshman goalkeeper Amanda Dennis recorded six saves in her Big Ten debut.
Penn State closed the opening weekend of the 2016 Big Ten regular season with a 1-0 victory at Wisconsin. In the win for the Blue and White, freshman defender Laura Suero tallied her first goal in the 72nd minute and Dennis made three saves to capture her second shutout of the season.
DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE
Heading into the weekend against Iowa and Nebraska, the Nittany Lions have a tallied a record of 4-0-1 over their past five games. During that span, the Nittany Lions are outscoring their opposition, 9-2, and have allowed 16 shots on goal.
THE 2016 PSU BIG TEN SLATE
Penn State opens the 2016 Big Ten regular season at No. 10 Minnesota (Sept. 16) and the 2015 Big Ten regular season co-champion Wisconsin Badgers (Sept. 18). Following the trip to Minnesota and Wisconsin, Penn State returns home to host Iowa (Sept. 23), Nebraska (Sept. 25) and Illinois (Sept. 30).
Penn State then travels to Indiana (Oct. 6) and Maryland (Oct. 9) before returning home to Happy Valley to host Rutgers on BTN (Oct. 13) and Purdue (Oct. 16).
The Blue and White close out the 2016 Big Ten regular season at Michigan State (Oct. 22) and host Ohio State (Oct. 26) for the regular season finale.
Due to a rotating schedule, Penn State does not play Northwestern or Michigan during the regular season in 2016.
FOR CLUB AND COUNTRY
The 2016 Penn State women's soccer team will be without the services of five Nittany Lions as they pursue a spot on the United States U-20 Women's National Team that will compete in the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, Nov. 13-Dec. 3. Maddie Elliston, Ellie Jean, Emily Ogle and Kaleigh Riehl will not be on the roster this fall, while Rose Chandler will continue to train with the Nittany Lions during the fall semester.
B1G HONORS
Three Nittany Lions have garnered weekly honors from the Big Ten during the 2016 regular season. Laura Freigang received Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors on Aug. 23, Frannie Crouse was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 13 and Laura Suero garnered Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week honors on Sept. 20.
BIG TEN SUCCESS
Since joining the Big Ten conference in 1994, the Nittany Lions have amassed a record of 181-26-11 in Big Ten play, including a record of 96-6-4 at Jeffrey Field. Under Coach Dambach, the Nittany Lions have a tallied a Big Ten record of 81-14-4.
PACING THE PRIDE
In 2016, junior Frannie Crouse leads the team in points (13), goals (six) and has recorded one assist. Crouse ranks second on the team in shots (25) and shots on goal (13).
STANDOUT SOPHOMORE
On the year, sophomore Charlotte Williams has tallied eight points on three goals and two assists. During her freshman season in 2015, Williams netted 13 points on three goals and seven assists.
Williams leads the team in shots (29), shots on goal (14) and is tied for the team lead in assists with two. Williams also ranks second in points (eight) and goals (three).
SHUTOUT SCORELESS STREAK SNAPPED
Penn State closed out the 2015 season with eight-straight shutouts, which spanned 733:32 of play. During the season opener against No. 6 West Virginia, the Nittany Lions kept the Mountaineers off the board until the 76:59 mark. The WVU goal at 76:59 snapped Penn State's shutout scoreless streak of 810:31, which was the second-best span in program history (1032:33, 2004).
HOME SWEET HOME
The Penn State women's soccer team has a record of 58-5-5 at Jeffrey Field since the start of the 2011 season. Over the past six seasons, Penn State has not lost twice at home in a single season. All-time at Jeffrey Field the Penn State women's soccer team has an overall record of 218-25-11.
Penn State kicked off the 2016 campaign setting an attendance record against No. 6 WVU. A Penn State women's soccer record 5,791 fans made their way to Jeffrey Field to watch the Nittany Lions and Mountaineers play to a 1-1 draw. The previous mark of 5,117 was set in 2012 against the top-ranked Stanford Cardinal.
As of Sept. 21, the Nittany Lions rank seventh in the nation in average attendance with 1,944 fans per game.
Last season, the Nittany Lions finished sixth in overall attendance in the nation with 21,856 fans, which was a program-best. The 2015 season featured two of the top-10 home field crowds in program history.
Penn State opened the 2015 season with a crowd of 3,175 against Hofstra and 4,207 fans packed into Jeffrey Field to watch the Nittany Lions host Duke.
NITTANY LIONS WELCOME NINE
Head coach Erica Dambach welcomed nine freshmen to the Penn State women's soccer family for the class of 2020.
Amanda Dennis and Emma Hasco enrolled early to Penn State during the spring of 2016. Becca Hamilton, Madison Moroi, Bristol Pizzuto, Laura Suero and Sarafina Valenti joined the Nittany Lions back on signing day in February. Grace Fisk and Laura Freigang were the last to join the Penn State women's soccer family as they joined the program in August.
NITTANY LION CAPTAINS
Brittany Basinger, Nickolette Driesse and Megan Schafer will captain the Nittany Lions for the 2016 season.
MILESTONE VICTORIES
The 2016 season marks the 23rd year of varsity women's soccer for Penn State. The Nittany Lions captured their 400th program victory with a 3-1 win over the Hofstra Pride on Aug. 21. Overall, the Nittany Lions boast a record of 404-105-31.
Coach Dambach captured her 200th win on Sept. 9 in a 3-0 victory against San Diego State. During her time as a head coach at Dartmouth (2000-02), Harvard (2006) and Penn State (2007-Present), Coach Dambach has tallied a record of 202-80-15.
PICKED TO DEFEND THE B1G
According to the 2016 Big Ten preseason coaches' poll, the Penn State women's soccer team was selected to defend its 2015 Big Ten regular season championship. Since the preseason poll started in 2003, the Nittany Lions have been named the preseason favorites every time.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
The 2016 Penn State women's soccer roster is comprised of nine freshmen, one redshirt freshman, five sophomores, one redshirt sophomore, six juniors, three redshirt juniors and one senior.
MAC HERMANN TROPHY WATCH LIST
Junior forward Megan Schafer was named to the 2016 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List prior to the start of the 2016 campaign.
During her 2015 season, Schafer led the Nittany Lions in goals (13) and points (30). Six of her 13 goals during 2015 captured a victory for the Blue & White. As a sophomore, she started 24 of 27 matches and netted at least one point in 11 of the final 17 matches on the year.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Heading into the weekend against Iowa and Nebraska, Frannie Crouse ranks 20th all-time at PSU in points with 64 (27g, 10a), while Schafer is tied for 21st (Emily Hurd, 2010-14) with 52 (21g, 10a). All-time in goals scored at PSU, Crouse ranks 16th with 27 and Schafer is tied for 20th with 21 (Stephanie Smith, 2000-01).
SCORING IN 2015
The Nittany Lion underclassmen accounted for 46 of the team's 64 goals last season, which also included 17 of the 20 goals scored in the NCAA Tournament.
2015 NCAA TOURNAMENT RUN
During Penn State's run to the National Title last season, the Nittany Lions outscored the opposition, 20-0, and outshot the opposition, 108-43. Only 13 of their opponent's shots during the NCAA Tournament were on goal.
THE POLLS
The Nittany Lions currently rank 15th in the Soccer America poll, 16th in the NSCAA poll, 20th in the TopDrawerSoccer poll and 25th in the NCAA RPI.
YEAR 10
The 2016 season marks the 10th season for Erica Dambach at the helm of the Penn State women's soccer program. As the head coach of the Nittany Lions, Coach Dambach has an overall record of 162-52-12 and 81-14-4 in Big Ten play.
NITTANY LIONS ON BTN
The Penn State women's soccer team will be featured three times during the regular season on the Big Ten Network. The BTN regular season matches for the Nittany Lions will be West Virginia (Aug. 19 - 7:30 p.m. EDT), Minnesota (Sept. 16 - 8 p.m. EDT) and Rutgers (Oct. 13 - 7 p.m. EDT).
THE TRIPLE CROWN
The 2015 season was a banner year for the Nittany Lions as they brought home the national championship along with both Big Ten titles.
NEXT UP
Penn State concludes its three-match homestand Friday, Sept. 30, against Illinois. Game time is set for 6 p.m. at Jeffrey Field.