UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The No. 21 Penn State women's soccer team (11-5-0, 7-2-0 Big Ten) heads to Bloomington, Indiana, to take on Indiana (7-7-2, 3-6-0 Big Ten) on Thursday, Oct. 18. The match is slated for a 7:30 p.m. start at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can watch the match on BTN2Go.com, but must have an account to watch the feed. Live stats can be found on iuhoosiers.com.
LOOKING AT INDIANA
Indiana enters the match against Penn State with an overall record of 7-7-2 and a Big Ten record of 3-6-0.
The Hoosiers have played five straight one-goal games, which includes a 3-2 win against Minnesota on Oct. 7. In the Big Ten standings, Indiana is 11th with nine points.
As a team, Indiana leads the Big Ten in points (98) and is second in shot attempts (223) only to Penn State (252).
Individually in the Big Ten, Abby Allen is tied for first in assists (seven), is second in points (21), and is third in shot attempts (48).
In net for the Hoosiers, Bethany Kopel has played all but 10:34 on the year. In 2018, Kopel has made 81 saves, has a goals-against average of 1.54, allowed 26 goals, a save percentage of .757, and has three solo shutouts to her name.
PENN STATE VS. INDIANA
Thursday's match marks the 27th meeting between the two teams with Penn State leading the all-time series, 23-1-2.
BREAKOUT SEASONS
Heading into the 2018 season, the trio of Kerry Abello, Shea Moyer, and Kristin Schnurr had a combined one point. In 2018, the trio have tallied 42 points.
Prior to the Indiana match, Schnurr leads the team in points (17), Abello is third (15), and Moyer is sixth (10).
STRIKE FIRST
Penn State has been very successful when scoring the first goal over the past few seasons. When scoring first, Penn State is 103-3-5 since the start of the 2012 season.
BIG TEN STANDINGS
With only two matches left in the 2018 Big Ten regular season for the Nittany Lions, Penn State leads the league with 21 points. Penn State has a chance to clinch at least a share of its 19th Big Ten regular season title with a win at Indiana.
Rutgers and Wisconsin are tied for second in the league with 18 points apiece. Nebraska has 15 points, but has three games remaining due to a postponement from this past weekend.
SECOND HALF TEAM
Halftime adjustments have paid dividends for the Nittany Lions in 2018.
Offensively, Penn State has scored 19 goals in the second half of regulation compared to nine goals in the first half. Additionally, Penn State has recorded 130 shots in the final 45 minutes of regulation compared to 117 shots in the first 45 minutes.
Defensively, Penn State has allowed nine goals during the first half of play, while it has allowed only one goal in the second half of regulation.
PROTECTING THE NET
Since the start of the 2014 season, Penn State goalkeepers have combined for 54 shutouts.
TOP OFFENSE
The Nittany Lions boast one of the top offenses in the nation over the past few seasons.
Heading into the Indiana match, Penn State has scored 435 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 492 followed by Stanford with 443 (Stats courtesy of the Virginia Sports Information Office).
CLOSE CONTESTS
Penn State has played 11 one-goal games in 2018. The Nittany Lions have gone 6-5 in those matches, which includes a pair of 2-1 overtime wins.
UP NEXT
Penn State returns home to Happy Valley to host Minnesota on Sunday, Oct. 21. The match is slated for a 1 p.m. start at Jeffrey Field.
The 2018 Penn State women's soccer season is presented by the Student Book Store.