Oct. 12, 2016
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women's soccer team (9-2-3, 5-0-2) returns home to Jeffrey Field for a pair of matches against Rutgers and Purdue. The Nittany Lions host the Scarlet Knights Thursday, Oct. 13, at 7:30 p.m. live on the Big Ten Network then Penn State closes out the weekend with Purdue on Sunday, Oct. 16, at 1 p.m.
FOLLOW ALONG
Thursday's match against Rutgers will be aired live on the Big Ten Network with Lisa Byington and Kate Markgraf on the call. Sunday's game will be streamed online via BTN2Go.com, fans must have a BTN Plus account to access the video. Fans can follow along with live stats via GoPSUsports.com.
SOCCER PARKING ADVISORY
The THON 5K is set to begin at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday in front of the Bryce Jordan Center on Curtain Road. All soccer fans attending the game on Sunday are encouraged to allow extra time to travel to the field as there will be various road closures on campus due to the 5K. Traffic may be heavy, so motorists are encouraged to avoid traveling through campus from approximately 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. All women's soccer fans are directed to enter/exit the Stadium West parking lot via Park Ave. Parking will be available in lower Stadium West as well as the grass lot above Little Jeffrey Field (weather permitting).
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
Thursday's match against Rutgers is THON Night and Throwback Night. Prior to Thursday's contest, there will be a Kid's Zone on Little Jeffrey starting at 6:45 p.m. Fans are encouraged to wear their favorite decade attire Thursday night and the best dressed fan will receive a giftcard to the Student Bookstore.
Prior to Sunday's match, the Nittany Lions will honor three senior members of the Penn State women's soccer program. The Nittany Lions will honor Nickolette Driesse, Angela Widlacki and Erika Wollman.
The B1G Student reward program continues this weekend. Penn State students should bring their punch card to the marketing table during halftime of both games.
LOOKING AT RUTGERS
Following a 2-2 double overtime draw at Indiana on Oct. 9, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights have tallied an overall record of 9-2-3 and a record of 4-1-2 in Big Ten play. Rutgers is currently fifth in the Big Ten regular season standings with 14 points.
As a team, Rutgers leads the conference with 259 shot attempts, is tied for second in goals (28) and assists (25) and ranks second in points with 81.
Individually, Madison Tiernan leads the conference in shot attempts with 69, while Nicole Whitley leads the league in assists with nine. Tiernan and Whitley lead the Scarlet Knight offense in 2016 with 19 and 15 points, respectively. Junior Colby Ciarrocca has also tallied 13 points on the year for the Scarlet Knights.
With 2015 NSCAA Second Team All-American goalkeeper Casey Murphy pursuing a spot with U.S. U-20 Women's National Team this fall, redshirt senior Alana Jimenez has taken over in goal for the Scarlet Knights. On the year, Jimenez has started all 14 matches, played 1333:35 minutes, allowed 11 goals, tallied a goals against average of .74, made 42 saves, posted a save percentage of .792 and recorded six solo shutouts.
THE 2015 RUTGERS TRILOGY
The 2015 women's soccer season featured the Penn State Nittany Lions and Rutgers Scarlet Knights playing each other three times at three different locations within a two month span.
The Scarlet Knights picked up their third-straight 1-0 win over the Nittany Lions in Piscataway, N.J., on Oct. 18, 2015. Following the 1-0 loss to Rutgers on Oct. 18 the Nittany Lions won the next 11 matches, including two over Rutgers, to secure their first NCAA title in program history.
The Nittany Lions and Scarlet Knights met for the second time in 2015 on Nov. 8, this time in Happy Valley. The two programs met in the Big Ten Women's Soccer Tournament Championship game. In the Big Ten Women's Soccer Tournament Title game, the Nittany Lions downed Rutgers, 2-0, to capture their sixth Big Ten Tournament title.
The 2015 Penn State-Rutgers trilogy came to a close on Dec. 4 in Cary, N.C., with a spot in the national title game on the line. Behind her 11th goal of the season, Frannie Crouse put the Nittany Lions up 1-0 in the 24th minute and then Kaleigh Riehl netted her first goal as a Nittany Lion in the 79th minute to secure Penn State's 2-0 win in the College Cup semifinal.
LOOKING AT PURDUE
Before heading Happy Valley, the Purdue Boilermakers host Maryland Thursday night. Heading into the weekend, Purdue has tallied a record of 3-10-0 overall and a record of 1-6-0 in Big Ten play.
Hannah Leinert and Andrea Petrina lead the Boilermaker offense with seven points and six points, respectively. Leinert has netted two goals and three assists on the year, while Petrina has netted two goals and two assists.
In net for Purdue, a pair of goalkeepers have split time during the 2016 season. Jordan Ginther has started eight games, played 685:05 minutes, allowed 18 goals, tallied a goals against average of 2.36, made 42 saves and recorded a save percentage of .700. In 2016, Erika Yohn has started five games, played 501:22 minutes, allowed 10 goals, posted a goals against average of 1.80, made 30 saves, tallied a save percentage of .750 and recorded one shutout.
WEEKEND REWIND
The Nittany Lions are coming off a 1-0-1 weekend at Indiana and Maryland. Penn State and Indiana battled to a double overtime 1-1 draw Thursday night at Bill Armstrong Stadium before the Nittany Lions topped Maryland, 3-0, Sunday afternoon at Ludwig Field.
In the 1-1 draw at Indiana, Frannie Crouse scored her team-leading ninth goal of the season in the eighth minute of play. With her goal Thursday night, Crouse moves into a tie for 14th all-time in goals scored with 30.
In Penn State's 3-0 victory at Maryland, Penn State scored all three goals via corner kicks. On Sunday, defender Brittany Basinger recorded a career-best two goals to pace the Nittany Lion offense. In the closing minutes of the match, defender Elizabeth Ball tallied her second goal of the season in the 84th minute.
B1G STANDINGS AND RANKINGS
With four games remaining in the 2016 Big Ten regular season, the Nittany Lions currently lead the league with 17 points (5-0-2). Northwestern and Minnesota are tied for second in the conference standings with 16 points, Michigan ranks fourth with 15 points and Rutgers is fifth with 14 points.
Heading into the weekend against Rutgers and Purdue, Crouse is tied for second in the Big Ten with nine goals, is tied for fifth in points with 19 and she is also tied for the Big Ten lead in game-winning goals with four. Also among the Big Ten leaders, Nickolette Driesse is tied for third in assists with six.
DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE
Heading into the weekend, the Nittany Lions have posted a record of 8-1-2 over the past 11 games. Over that span, the Nittany Lion defense has allowed one goal or less in each game, which includes six shutouts.
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
Four 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, Laura Suero garnered Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week honors on Sept. 20 and Amanda Dennis was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Sept. 27.
BIG TEN SUCCESS
Since joining the Big Ten conference in 1994, the Nittany Lions have amassed a record of 185-26-12 in Big Ten play, including a record of 100-6-4 at Jeffrey Field. Under Coach Dambach, the Nittany Lions have a tallied a Big Ten record of 85-14-5.
PACING THE PRIDE
In 2016, junior Frannie Crouse leads the team in points (19), goals (nine) and has recorded one assist. Crouse ranks second on the team in shots (37) and shots on goal (19). Among the leaders in the NCAA, Crouse is tied for 16th in game-winning goals (four) and she is tied for 28th in goals scored with nine.
STANDOUT SOPHOMORE
On the year, sophomore Charlotte Williams has tallied nine points on three goals and three assists. During her freshman season in 2015, Williams netted 13 points on three goals and seven assists. Williams leads the team in shots (40), shots on goal (21), is tied for second in assists (three), ranks third in goals (three) and points (nine).
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 61-5-5 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 221-25-11.
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 Oct. 10, the Nittany Lions rank seventh in the nation in average attendance with 1,648 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 408-105-32. 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 206-80-16.
MIDSEASON HONORS
Seven Nittany Lions were named to TopDrawerSoccer's Top 100 Midseason Lists. Amanda Dennis, Grace Fisk and Laura Freigang were named to the TopDrawerSoccer Freshmen Top 100 List. Dennis checks in at 15, followed by Freigang at 35 and Fisk at 74.
TopDrawerSoccer also released its midseason top 100 list featuring upperclassmen. Frannie Crouse leads a quartet of Nittany Lions at 43, followed by Megan Schafer (49), Nickolette Driesse (58) and Brittany Basinger (74).
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, Frannie Crouse ranks 19th all-time at PSU in points with 70 (30g, 10a), while Megan Schafer ranks 21st with 57 (23g, 11a). All-time in goals scored at PSU, Crouse is tied for 14th with 30 and Schafer is tied for 19th with 23.
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.
WINNING TRADITION
Senior co-captain Nickolette Driesse has been a part of the last two NCAA champion women's soccer teams. Prior to transferring to Penn State in 2015, Driesse was a member of the Florida State Seminoles. The Seminoles were NCAA runner-ups in 2013 and won the NCAA title in 2014.
THE POLLS
The Nittany Lions rank 14th in the Soccer America poll, 16th in the NSCAA Poll, 17th in the TopDrawerSoccer poll and 27th in the 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 166-52-13 and 85-14-5 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 - 7:30 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
The Nittany Lions travel to Michigan State Saturday, Oct. 22, for their final road game of the 2016 regular season. Game time is set for noon.