UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State women's soccer team (7-5-0, 3-2-0 Big Ten) is on the road this weekend for a pair of matches at Michigan State and Michigan. The Nittany Lions will take on the Michigan State Spartans (5-4-3, 0-3-2 Big Ten) on Friday, Oct. 5, at 7 p.m. at the DeMartin Soccer Complex in East Lansing, Michigan, before closing out the weekend in Ann Arbor, Michigan, at U-M Soccer Stadium against the Michigan Wolverines (6-6-0, 2-3-0 Big Ten) on Sunday, Oct. 7, at noon.
FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can follow along with the Michigan State match on BTN2Go.com, but users must have an account to access the stream. There will be no stream of the Michigan match. Live stats for both matches can be found on GoPSUsports.com.
LOOKING AT MICHIGAN STATE
Michigan State enters the weekend with an overall record of 5-4-3 and a Big Ten record of 0-3-2.
Heading into the match against Penn State, the Spartans have dropped their last two contests each by one goal (2-1 – No. 17 Wisconsin – Sept. 23 & 1-0 – at Illinois – Sept. 29).
Offensively, Camryn Evans leads the team in points (14) and goals (seven), while Sadie Misiewicz ranks second on the team in points (nine) and goals (four).
In net, Reilley Ott has played every minute for the Spartans on the year. In 2018, Ott has recorded six solo shutouts, made 55 saves, a save percentage of .821, and has a goals-against average of 0.94.
PENN STATE VS. MICHIGAN STATE
Friday's match marks the 26th meeting between Penn State and Michigan State. Penn State leads the all-time series between the two teams, 20-5-0.
LOOKING AT MICHIGAN
Prior to hosting Penn State on Sunday, Oct. 7, the Michigan Wolverines host the Ohio State Buckeyes on Friday, Oct. 5.
Michigan enters the weekend with an overall record of 6-6-0 and a Big Ten record of 2-3-0. Michigan fell 4-1 at Northwestern in its lone contest last weekend.
Offensively, Nicki Hernandez leads the Wolverines in points (17), goals (six), and assists (five). Along with Hernandez, Reilly Martin has recorded 13 points and Sarah Stratigakis has tallied 11 points.
After missing the early part of the season due to an injury, Hillary Beall started the last three matches in net for the Maize and Blue. Beall has a record of 1-2-0, a goals-against average of 1.58, a save percentage of .667, made 10 saves, and has recorded one solo shutout.
PENN STATE VS. MICHIGAN
Sunday's match marks the 33rd meeting between Penn State and Michigan. The Nittany Lions lead the all-time series between the two programs, 21-4-7.
PROTECTING THE NET
Since the start of the 2014 season, Penn State goalkeepers have combined for 52 shutouts.
STRIKE FIRST
Penn State has been very successful when scoring the first goal over the past few seasons. When scoring first, Penn State is 101-3-5 since the start of the 2012 season.
TOP OFFENSE
The Nittany Lions boast one of the top offenses in the nation over the past few seasons.
Heading into the Michigan State match, Penn State has scored 429 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 481 followed by Stanford with 439 (Stats courtesy of the Virginia Sports Information Office).
O CAPTAINS, MY CAPTAINS
Prior to the start of the 2018 season, head coach Erica Dambach announced that Maddie Nolf will captain the team. Along with Nolf, Emily Ogle was appointed a team captain on Oct. 3.
Heading into 2018, Nolf appeared in 66 matches, which included 52 starts, while Ogle started 75-of-75 matches.
Both Nolf and Ogle used a redshirt during the 2016 season, as they were two 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.
SECOND HALF TEAM
Twelve matches into the 2018 season and halftime adjustments have paid dividends for the Nittany Lions.
Offensively, Penn State has scored 15 goals in the second half of regulation compared to eight goals in the first half. Additionally, Penn State has recorded 105 shots in the final 45 minutes of regulation compared to 84 shots in the first 45 minutes.
Defensively, Penn State has allowed seven goals during the first half of play, while it has allowed only one goal in the second half of regulation.
SENIOR CLASS AWARD
Emily Ogle has been named a candidate for the 2018 Senior CLASS Award. Ogle is one of 30 candidates for the award, as announced by the organization on Sept. 19.
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.
UP NEXT
Penn State returns home to Jeffrey Field to host Maryland on Friday, Oct. 12, at 7 p.m. and Rutgers on Sunday, Oct. 14, at 3 p.m. Fans can watch the Rutgers match live on the Big Ten Network.