UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The No. 11 Penn State women's soccer team (3-2-0) closes out its non-conference regular season slate with Syracuse (3-2-0) and No. 6 Virginia (5-0-0) at Jeffrey Field. The Nittany Lions take on the Orange on Thursday, Sept. 6, at 7 p.m. and then host the Cavaliers on Sunday, Sept. 9, at 1 p.m.
FOLLOW ALONG
Both matches will be streamed via BTN Plus on BTN2go.com. Viewers must have a login to watch the matches.
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.
LOOKING AT SYRACUSE
The Syracuse Orange make the trip to Happy Valley sporting a record of 3-2-0. Last week, Syracuse fell 4-0 at Harvard on Aug. 30, before tallying a 1-0 victory at Northeastern on Sept. 2.
Offensively, Sydney Brackett and Kate Hostage lead the team with four points apiece. Hostage also leads the team in goals with two, while Brackett leads the team in assists (two).
In net, Jordan Harris has started all five games in 2018. On the year, Harris has a record of 2-2-0, allowed five goals, has a goals-against average of 1.17, made 17 saves, recorded one shutout and has a save percentage of .773.
PENN STATE VS. SYRACUSE
The Nittany Lions and Orange are meeting for just the second time. Penn State won the inaugural matchup, 2-0, on Aug. 24, 2014.
LOOKING AT VIRGINIA
Prior to taking on Penn State on Sunday, Sept. 9, the No. 6 Virginia Cavaliers will host Liberty on Thursday, Sept. 6.
Offensively, Taryn Torres leads the team in points with six and is tied with four other Cavaliers for the team lead in goals (two).
In net, Laurel Ivory has started four matches on the year and has not conceded a goal. In 2018, Ivory has a record of 4-0-0, and has recorded three shutouts.
PENN STATE VS. VIRGINIA
Sunday's contest marks the 14th meeting between the two programs. Penn State leads the all-time series against Virginia, 7-5-1.
Virginia has won the last three matchups between the two teams.
25 SEASONS OF VARSITY WOMEN'S SOCCER
2018 marks the 25th season of Penn State women's soccer as a varsity program.
Over the first 24 seasons, Penn State has compiled a record of 426-113-37, won 18 Big Ten regular season titles, won seven Big Ten Tournament titles, captured the 2015 NCAA Championship, and has advanced to the NCAA Tournament every season since 1995.
THE POLLS
Penn State is No. 11 in the United Soccer Coaches poll, No. 15 according to Soccer America and TopDrawerSoccer.
PICKED TO WIN B1G
Prior to the start of the 2018 season, the Nittany Lions were selected to win the Big Ten regular season title.
Since the beginning of the Big Ten coaches' preseason poll in 2003, the Nittany Lions have been picked to win the conference every season.
STRIKE FIRST
Penn State has been very successful when scoring the first goal over the past few seasons. When scoring first, Penn State is 98-3-5 since the start of the 2012 season.
PROTECTING THE NET
Since the start of the 2014 season, Penn State goalkeepers have combined for 49 shutouts.
TOP OFFENSE
The Nittany Lions boast one of the top offensives in the nation over the past few seasons.
Heading into the Syracuse match, Penn State has scored 416 goals since the start of the 2011 season, which ranks third in the nation.
Virginia leads the nation in goals scored since the start of 2011 with 466 followed by Stanford with 424 goals (Stats courtesy of the Virginia Sports Information Office).
YEAR 12 DONNING THE BLUE & WHITE
Head coach Erica Dambach enters her 12th season at the helm of the Penn State women's soccer program in 2018. Along with Dambach, Ann Cook enters her 12th season on the Nittany Lion coaching staff.
Heading into year 12 at PSU, Dambach has amassed a record of 184-60-18, won nine Big Ten regular season titles, three Big Ten Tournament crowns, advanced to 11 straight NCAA Tournaments, and won the NCAA Championship in 2015.
WELCOME BACK
The Nittany Lions welcome back 16 letterwinners to the program for the 2018 season. Eight Nittany Lions return from the 2015 roster that won the program's first national championship.
OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
Redshirt senior Maddie Nolf will don the captain's armband for the 2018 season. A mainstay on the Nittany Lion backline, Nolf has appeared in 66 matches, which included 52 starts.
Nolf used a redshirt during the 2016 season as she was one of five Nittany Lions that joined the United States U-20 Women's National Team for the 2016 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Nittany Lions boast an all-time record of 234-27-13 at Jeffrey Field and in Big Ten conference matches, Penn State is 106-6-6.
Since the start of the 2011 season, Penn State owns a record of 74-7-7 at Jeffrey Field.
Penn State opened the 2018 season with 3,126 fans against then-No. 9 West Virginia, which is the No. 8 crowd in program history at Jeffrey Field.
UP NEXT
No. 11 Penn State opens its 2018 Big Ten regular season slate with the defending Big Ten regular season champion Ohio State Buckeyes on Sept. 14. The match is slated for a 6 p.m. start at Jeffrey Field.