Nov. 18, 2017
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 10 and third-seeded Penn State women's soccer team (14-4-4) plays the No. 7 and second-seeded West Virginia Mountaineers (16-3-3) in the third round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, Nov. 19. The match is scheduled for a 5 p.m. start at the Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium in Morgantown, W.Va.
FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can follow along with free live video and live stats on WVUsports.com.
TICKET INFORMATION
Fans can purchase tickets for Sunday's match now at WVUGAME.com. Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for students and $3 for youth.
LOOKING AT WEST VIRGINIA
The No. 7 and second-seeded West Virginia Mountaineers enter the match against No. 10 and third-seeded Penn State after defeating No. 22 Rutgers in penalty kicks on Friday night. After ending the match in a 0-0 draw, West Virginia defeated Rutgers, 4-3, in penalty kicks.
Offensively, Michaela Abam leads the team in goals (10), points (23), shots (124), and shots on goal (37). Abam has also tallied four game-winning goals on the year. Along with Abam, six other Mountaineers have tallied at least 10 points on the year.
In net, Rylee Foster has started all 22 matches in 2017. On the year, Foster has a record of 16-3-3, has made 42 saves, has a goals-against average of 0.53, a save percentage of .778, has only allowed 12 goals on the year, and has 12 shutouts to her name.
SERIES HISTORY VS. WEST VIRGINIA
Sunday's match marks the 17th meeting between the two programs with the series tied, 7-7-2.
Earlier this season on Sept. 2, then-No. 6 West Virginia defeated then-No. 4 Penn State, 2-1, in Morgantown, W.Va.
LAST TIME OUT
Behind a pair of goals in the second half of play, No. 10 Penn State defeated No. 24 Wake Forest, 2-0.
In the contest, Alina Ortega Jurado scored in the 59th minute and Laura Freigang netted her ninth goal of the season in the 66th minute of action.
In net, Rose Chandler tallied a five-save outing for ninth solo shutout of the year.
No. 21 NETS No. 21
Sophomore Laura Freigang netted the 21st hat trick in program history in Penn State's 7-0 win over Stony Brook on Nov. 10.
ALL-B1G HONORS
For Penn State, four Nittany Lions were tabbed with All-Big Ten honors, as Emily Ogle was named to the First Team, Kaleigh Riehl and Megan Schafer received Second Team plaudits, and Charlotte Williams was named to the Third Team.
Along the PSU quartet that garnered All-Big Ten Team honors, Frankie Tagliaferri was named to the All-Freshman Team and Laura Suero received the Sportsmanship Award for Penn State.
THE POLLS
In the polls before the NCAA Tournament, Penn State sits at No. 9 (Soccer America), No. 10 (United Soccer Coaches), and No. 12 (TopDrawerSoccer). The Nittany Lions are also No. 10 in the NCAA RPI.
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The 2017 NCAA Tournament marks Penn State's 23rd-straight appearance.
Penn State sports an all-time record of 49-20-2 in NCAA Tournament matches, including a record of 10-2-1 in third round matches.
The Nittany Lions have advanced to the College Cup five times (1999, '02, '05, '12, & '15) and won their first NCAA title in 2015.
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 (89), is tied for 10th in goals (36), is 10th in game-winning goals (13), is sixth in shots on goal (109), is 11th in shots attempted (229), and is tied for 25th in assists (17).
Schafer ranks 16th in points (78), is tied for 15th in goals (30), is tied for 14th in game-winning goals (11), is 19th in shots attempted (153), is 13th in shots on goal (67), and is tied for 22nd in assists (18).
Along with Crouse and Schafer, a quartet of Nittany Lions have also etched their names into the PSU record books.
Haleigh Echard has netted 48 shots on goal during her career, which ranks 20th.
Salina Williford is 21st in shots on goal (46) and is 24th in shots attempted (127).
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 (17), is 12th in shots on goal (71), is 22nd in shots attempted (149), and is tied for 26th in goals (12).
COMING UP CLUTCH
Seniors Frannie Crouse and Megan Schafer have combined for 24 career game-winning goals.
Crouse's 13 game-winning goals rank 10th all-time at PSU, while Schafer's 11 game-winning goals are tied for 14th.
PROLIFIC ATTACK
Since the start of the 2011 season, the Penn State women's soccer team has scored the second-most goals in the country (402). Virginia leads the nation in goals scored during that stretch (451). (Stats courtesy of UVa Sports Info.)
DEPENDABLE DEFENSIVE DUO
Seniors Elizabeth Ball and Brittany Basinger have been a mainstay on the Nittany Lion backline during their time at PSU.
Heading into the West Virginia match, Ball ranks fifth all-time at PSU in minutes played (7,701), while Basinger is 11th (6,920).
UP NEXT
The winner of No. 10 and third-seeded Penn State and No. 7 and second-seeded West Virginia will play the winner of No. 1 and No.1-seeded Stanford and No. 4 seed Florida State. The information for that match will be announced at a later time.