Sept. 16, 2017
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 8 Penn State women's soccer team (5-2-0, 1-0-0 B1G) closes out the opening weekend of Big Ten action on Sunday, Sept. 17, against Illinois (3-6-0, 0-1-0 B1G). The match is slated for a 1 p.m. start at Jeffrey Field.
FOLLOW ALONG
The match will be streamed on BTN2Go.com, but fans must have a BTN Plus account to access the stream. Live stats will be available 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.
PROMOTIONS
- Princess and Pirates Day
- All youth are encouraged to dress like their favorite Princess or Pirate
- Parade of Princess and Pirates pre-game
- Free eyepatches and wands for the first 250 youth
- Cub Club Day
- Post-Match Autographs
- Alumni Association Day
LOOKING AT ILLINOIS
The Illinois Fighting Illini opened the 2017 Big Ten season with a 7-0 loss at Ohio State on Thursday night.
In the contest, Ohio State outshot Illinois, 17-6, and tallied an advantage of 11-2 in shots on goal. For the Illini, Kara Marbury recorded a pair of shots on goal and in net, Jaelyn Cunningham posted a four-save outing.
On the year, Illinois has an overall record of 3-6-0, and a record of 0-1-0 in Big Ten action. The game against Penn State marks the final game of a seven-game road trip for the Illini.
Offensively, Illinois is led by Arianna Veland. In nine games played, she has tallied four points on two goals, and has six shot attempts. Along with Veland five of her teammates have scored one goal.
In net, Cunningham has played every minute on the year (811:47). In 2017, Cunningham has made 47 saves, allowed 20 goals, tallied a save percentage of .701, and recorded one shutout.
PSU vs. ILLINOIS
The Penn State-Illinois series dates back to the 1997 season with Penn State leading the series, 25-4-0. The 29 meetings against Illinois makes Illinois the second-most played opponent for Penn State (Michigan - 30).
Penn State has won four-straight contests against Illinois dating back to the 2013 season, all of which have been played at PSU.
Frannie Crouse has netted seven points (3g, 1a) in her career against Illinois, which ranks tied for fifth all-time at PSU.
Last year, Crouse and Marissa Sheva each tallied one goal en route to Penn State's 2-0 victory.
LAST TIME OUT
No. 8 Penn State opened up Big Ten play with a 3-0 victory over the Northwestern Wildcats on Thursday night.
In the contest, Megan Schafer netted her second goal of the season just 3:03 into the game.
The attack continued for Penn State as it outshot Northwestern, 15-2, during the first 45 minutes of action.
In the closing minutes of the first half, Emily Ogle scored on a free kick from 24 yards out to make it a 2-0 contest in favor of Penn State.
Penn State added its third goal of the night in the 48th minute on Charlotte Williams' first goal of the season.
In net for the Nittany Lions, a pair of Penn Staters combined for the shutout.
Rose Chandler tallied a pair of saves during the first 66 minutes and Amanda Dennis was able to keep the shutout intact.
WEEKLY HONORS
Following her first career two-goal game in a 3-1 victory against No. 8 BYU, junior Marissa Sheva was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week on Aug. 22.
Her Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honor was the first of her career.
A week later, Sheva netted her second two-goal game of the season in a 4-2 win at Arkansas.
For her two-goal outing at Arkansas, Sheva was named to the TopDrawerSoccer Team of the Week.
TEN IN THREE
During the first three matches of the 2017 season, Penn State recorded one of its best starts in program history offensively.
For the seventh time in program history, Penn State women's soccer scored at least 10 goals in its first three matches of the season. The program record for goals scored in the first three games was set back in 1996 (12).
THE POLLS
In the most recent polls, Penn State sits at No. 4 (Soccer America), No. 6 (TopDrawerSoccer), and No. 8 (United Soccer Coaches).
CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Seniors Frannie Crouse and Megan Schafer have ascended the Penn State all-time charts during their
Nittany Lion careers.
Crouse ranks 12th in points (84), 11th in goals (35), 10th in game-winning goals (13), tied for sixth in shots on goal (97), and is 12th in shots attempted (201).
Schafer ranks tied for 19th in points (71), 17th in goals (27), T-15th in game-winning goals (10), is T-22nd in shots attempted (122), 24th in assists (17), and T-15th in shots on goal (58).
Along with Crouse and Schafer, a trio of Nittany Lions have also etched their names into the Penn State record books.
Haleigh Echard has netted 44 shots on goal during her career, which ranks tied for 20th.
Emily Ogle's 14 goals rank 23rd all-time, while her four penalty kicks made are third-most in program history.
Junior Charlotte Williams is tied for 25th in assists (16) and is 18th in shots on goal (57).
COMING UP CLUTCH
Seniors Frannie Crouse and Megan Schafer have combined for 23 career game-winning goals.
Crouse's 13 game-winning goals rank 10th all-time at PSU, while Schafer's 10 game-winning goals are tied for 15th.
TOUGH TEST EARLY
The Penn State women's soccer team will embark on a tough stretch during its non-conference season. The Nittany Lions will open the season against No. 8 BYU (Aug. 18) before hosting Hofstra (Aug. 20).
After the opening weekend of the season, Penn State then travels to No. 17 Arkansas (Aug. 25) and then to Morgantown, W.Va., for a clash with No. 1 West Virginia (Sept. 2).
Following a two-game road trip, the Nittany Lions return home to host No. 6 North Carolina (Sept. 7) at Jeffrey Field and then the non-conference slate comes to a close with a trip to No. 11 Virginia (Sept. 10).
THREE-IN-A-ROW
With matches against No. 6 West Virginia, No. 6 North Carolina and No. 8 Virginia, Penn State women's soccer played three-straight matches against teams ranked in the top-10 in the United Soccer Coaches poll.
The three-match top-10 stretch is the first of its kind for PSU since the 2005 NCAA Tournament.
WELCOME BACK
The Nittany Lions return 22 letterwinners to the program for the 2017 season, including seven starters from the 2015 College Cup Final.
Of the 108 points tallied as a team last season, the Penn State offense returns 97 of those points. Offensively last season, Frannie Crouse paced the Nittany Lions with 27 points on a Big Ten-best 12 goals and she added three assists. In addition to Crouse, Megan Schafer posted 17 points on six goals and five assists, while
Charlotte Williams netted 16 points on six goals and four assists.
In net, Rose Chandler returns to the team after sitting out last season after joining the U.S. U-20 Women's National Team for the 2016 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. Along with Chandler, Amanda Dennis is back for her sophomore season. As a true freshman last year, Dennis went 12-5-4, recorded seven solo shutouts, posted a goals against average of 0.92, and tallied 59 saves.
#PSU2021
The Penn State women's soccer class of 2021 is comprised of five members. Though it is a small class, it is a highly touted class; according to TopDrawerSoccer, the Nittany Lion freshman class is ranked No. 4 overall.
Kerry Abello, Casey Ballow, Shea Moyer, Frankie Tagliaferri, and Emma Thomson make up the Penn State freshman class this fall.
The quintet bring numerous accolades and experience with the U.S. Women's National Team youth program to the Nittany Lions.
THE B1G SLATE
The 2017 Big Ten regular season schedule features Penn State playing six road matches and five matches at Jeffrey Field. Penn State opens the conference slate with fellow 2016 Big Ten champion No. 23 Northwestern on Sept. 14 at Jeffrey Field. The opening weekend of conference action continues with the Blue & White hosting Illinois on Sept. 17.
The Nittany Lions then head on the road for three matches against Iowa (Sept. 22), No. 22 Nebraska (Sept. 24), and Ohio State (Sept. 30). Following Penn State's road trip, the Nittany Lions return home to host Michigan (Oct. 6) and Michigan State (Oct. 8).
The final stretch of conference play begins with a pair of matches at No. 21 Rutgers (Oct. 12) and Maryland (Oct. 15). Penn State then returns home for its regular season home finale against Purdue (Oct. 20) before heading to Madison, Wis., to close out the regular season against Wisconsin (Oct. 25).
Due to a rotating schedule, Penn State will not play Indiana or Minnesota during the 2017 regular season.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Nittany Lions have posted an all-time record of 228-26-12 at Jeffrey Field, which includes a Big Ten
Conference record of 103-6-5. Since the start of the 2011 season, Penn State has a record of 68-6-6 at Jeffrey Field.
Penn State kicked off its 2017 campaign with the fifth-best crowd in program history at Jeffrey Field. Against No. 8 BYU on Aug. 18, 3,570 fans came out to witness the Nittany Lions capture a 3-1 victory.
OH CAPTAINS, MY CAPTAINS
Defenders Elizabeth Ball and Brittany Basinger have been named the captains of the 2017 Penn State women's soccer team.
Heading into her senior year, Ball has played in 72 matches, which includes 71 starts, scored six goals and added one assist.
Basinger will be a redshirt senior in 2017 as she received a redshirt during the 2014 season. Heading into 2017, she has posted 71 starts in 71 games played, netted 14 points on four goals and six assists.
#PSWS ON BTN
The Nittany Lions will have three regular season matches broadcasted live on the Big Ten Network (BTN) during 2017.
BTN is scheduled to broadcast the North Carolina-Penn State match (Sept. 7), the Northwestern-Penn State match (Sept. 14), and the Penn State-Rutgers match (Oct. 12).
PICKED TO DEFEND
Prior to the start of the 2017 season the Nittany Lions were picked to win the Big Ten regular season title.
Since the beginning of the coaches' preseason poll in 2003, the Nittany Lions have been picked to win the conference every season.
The 2016 season saw Minnesota, Northwestern, and Penn State all tie for the league title.
DEPENDABLE DEFENSIVE DUO
Seniors Elizabeth Ball and Brittany Basinger have been a mainstay on the Nittany Lion backline for the past few seasons.
Heading into the match against Illinois, Ball ranks 14th all-time at PSU in minutes played (6,511), while Basinger is 20th (5,940).
PRESEASON HONORS
Heading into the 2017 season, six Nittany Lions have received preseason honors.
The Big Ten announced its players to watch list with Elizabeth Ball, Brittany Basinger, and Frannie Crouse garnering honors.
TopDrawerSoccer announced its Preseason Top-100 list and its Preseason Best XI Teams.
On TopDrawerSoccer's Top-100 list, Emily Ogle is No. 5, followed by Kaleigh Riehl at No. 7, Crouse is No. 18, Maddie Elliston is No. 43, and Ball rounds out the Nittany Lion contingent at No. 55.
Ogle and Riehl were also named to the TopDrawerSoccer Best XI First Team, while Crouse was named to the TopDrawerSoccer Best XI Second Team.
Along with the Big Ten and TopDrawerSoccer honors, Crouse and Ogle were named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List.
FOR CLUB AND COUNTRY
The 2017 Penn State women's soccer roster is bolstered with numerous Nittany Lions with national team experience with their respective countries.
Last fall, six Nittany Lions competed at the 2016 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, as five Penn Staters represented the United States and Laura Freigang was a member of the German National Team. For the United States, Rose Chandler, Maddie Elliston, Ellie Jean, Emily Ogle, and Kaleigh Riehl donned the Red, White & Blue.
Along with the Penn State presence at the 2016 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, a handful of Nittany Lions have taken part in competitions/training camps for their respective national teams at different age levels since the start of the calendar year.
UP NEXT
No. 8 Penn State heads to Iowa and Nebraska next weekend to begin a three-match road trip.
Penn State faces Iowa on Friday, Sept. 22, at 8 p.m. (EDT) and then takes on Nebraska on Sunday, Sept. 24, at 2 p.m. (EDT)