UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The No. 16, and top-seeded, Penn State women's soccer team (13-5-0, 9-2-0 Big Ten) hosts the eighth-seeded Michigan Wolverines (9-8-1, 5-5-1 Big Ten) in the quarterfinal round of the 2018 Big Ten Tournament on Sunday, Oct. 28. The match is slated for a 1 p.m. start at Jeffrey Field.
FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can watch the match on BTN2Go.com, but must have an account to access the feed. Live stats can be found on GoPSUsports.com.
ATTENDING JEFFREY FIELD
Admission and parking will be free. Fans are reminded that there is a no bag policy in place on stadium grounds.
LOOKING AT MICHIGAN
The Michigan Wolverines enter the 2018 Big Ten Tournament as the No. 8 seed.
The Wolverines head to Happy Valley after capturing a pair of victories last weekend (Maryland – 2-1 & Michigan State – 2-0). On the year, Michigan has an overall record of 9-8-1 and a Big Ten record of 5-5-1.
Offensively for the Wolverines, Nicki Hernandez leads the team in points (22), goals (eight), and assists (six). Along with Hernandez, Sarah Stratigakis has recorded 17 points (7g, 3a) and Reilly Martin has tallied 16 points (6g, 4a).
In net for Michigan, Hillary Beall has started the last nine matches. In 2018, Beall has a record of 4-4-1, made 31 saves, a goals-against average of 1.07, has a save percentage of .756, and has three solo shutouts.
PENN STATE VS. MICHIGAN
Sunday's match marks the 34th meeting between the two teams with Penn State leading the all-time series, 22-4-7.
Earlier this season, Penn State defeated Michigan, 2-1, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Oct. 7.
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 48 points.
Prior to the Michigan match, Abello has 19 points, Schnurr has 17 points, and Moyer has 12 points.
STRIKE FIRST
Penn State has been very successful when scoring the first goal over the past few seasons. When scoring first, Penn State is 106-3-5 since the start of the 2012 season.
B1G TITLE No. 19
With Penn State's 2-0 win over Minnesota on Oct. 21, the Nittany Lions won the 2018 Big Ten regular season title outright. The 2018 title is the 19th in program history and marks the 15th time Penn State won the title outright.
SECOND HALF TEAM
Halftime adjustments have paid dividends for the Nittany Lions in 2018.
Offensively, Penn State has scored 22 goals in the second half of regulation compared to 12 goals in the first half. Additionally, Penn State has recorded 139 shots in the final 45 minutes of regulation compared to 131 shots in the first 45 minutes.
Defensively, Penn State has allowed 10 goals during the first half of play, while it has allowed only one goal in the second half of regulation.
BIG TEN TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The 2018 Big Ten Tournament marks the 23rd appearance for the Nittany Lions.
Overall, Penn State owns a 31-11-5 record in the Big Ten Tournament. Penn State has won seven titles, which includes titles in 2015 & '17.
PROTECTING THE NET
Since the start of the 2014 season, Penn State goalkeepers have combined for 55 shutouts.
TOP OFFENSE
The Nittany Lions boast one of the top offenses in the nation over the past few seasons.
Heading into the Michigan match, Penn State has scored 441 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 498 followed by Stanford with 454 (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.
ALL-BIG TEN HONORS
With the Big Ten regular season in the books, nine Nittany Lions were honored by the Big Ten.
For Penn State, Erica Dambach was named the Coach of the Year, Emily Ogle was tabbed the Midfielder of the Year, and Kaleigh Riehl garnered Defender of the Year honors.
The All-Big Ten first team featured Ogle, Riehl, and Frankie Tagliaferri. The All-Big Ten second team saw Alina Ortega Jurado and Charlotte Williams. In addition to the first team and second team honors, Kerry Abello was named to the All-Big Ten third team.
Along with the All-Big Ten plaudits Kim Dubs was placed on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team and Laura Suero received the Sportsmanship Award for Penn State.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Nittany Lions boast an all-time record of 240-29-13 at Jeffrey Field and in Big Ten conference matches, Penn State is 111-7-6.
Since the start of the 2011 season, Penn State owns a record of 80-9-7 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
The winner of Penn State/Michigan will play the winner of Wisconsin/Illinois on Friday, Nov. 2, live on the Big Ten Network. The match will take place at 11 a.m. at Grand Park in Westfield, Indiana.