UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The #11 Penn State women's soccer team hosts the Minnesota Golden Gophers on national television on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. ET. The Nittany Lions will play on Jeffrey Field for the first time since the opening round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament against Stony Brook on November 15, 2019.
In the last matchup against Minnesota, Ally Schlegel scored in overtime in the 97th minute to give the Nittany Lions a 1-0 win. It was Schlegel's eighth goal of the season at the time of the match.
Game Information
- Date: Thursday, March 18, 2021 | Time: 5:30 p.m. ET
- Location: University Park, Pa. | Venue: Jeffrey Field
- Live Stats | Watch on BTN
- Series Record: PSU 23-5-2
Penn State Breakdown
Record: 4-1-1, 4-1-1
Top Scorers: Sam Coffey – 4 Goals, Schlegel, Tagliaferri – 3 goals
Top Assists: Schlegel, Coffey and Wasserman – 3 Assists
Nittany Lions Last Time Out
Ohio State struck first, scoring in just the third minute of action as Kayla Fisher scored her first goal of the season to grab a 1-0 lead.
Ohio State's only shot on goal in the first half was the goal in the third minute as the Buckeyes took a 1-0 lead into the half. In the 49th minute, Sam Coffey tied the game at 1-1 with her fourth goal of the season. Rachel Wasserman sent a long ball up the left side of the field that found a streaking Coffey. Coffey muscled passed her defender and used her left foot to best the Ohio State keeper.
The Buckeyes retook the lead in the 65th minute as Fischer scored her second goal of the game to give Ohio State a 2-1 lead.
Less than three minutes later, Frankie Tagliaferri sent a shot on net that was redirected off a Buckeye defender and found the back of the net to tie the game at 2-2.
After the goal for the Buckeyes in the 65th minute, Kat Asman made four saves in the second half. This included a save in the 87th minute to keep the game knotted at 2-2 heading into extra time.
Neither team could gain the advantage and the game ended in a 2-2 draw.
Morning Coffey
Senior captain Sam Coffey ranks as the NCAA Division I active leader in points and assists. Coffey currently has 101 points and 37 assists in her career. Coffey is one of two NCAA Division I women's soccer players with 30+ goals and 30+ assists and one of four in the entire country with 30+ goals and 30+ assists.
Stat Leaders
The Nittany Lions top the following stat categories in the Big Ten Conference:
Team
Points – 42 (1st)
Goals – 15 (1st)
Assists – 12 (1st)
Individual
Game-Winning Goals – Sam Coffey – 3 (1st)
Points – Sam Coffey – 11 (1st)
Goals – Sam Coffey – 4 (T-1st)
Points – Ally Schlegel – 9 (T-1st)
Assists – Sam Coffey – 3 (T-1st)
Assists – Ally Schlegel – 3 (T-1st)
Assists – Rachel Wasserman – 3 (T-1st)
Schel-GOAL
Redshirt sophomore Ally Schlegel has picked up right where she left off during the fall of 2019. Schlegel tied for the Big Ten lead with 13 goals last season and led the conference with 33 points.
Schlegel currently second on the team lead in points (9), goals (3) and tied for the team lead in assists (3).
Schlegel is the third member of her immediate family to play Division I sports. Her father Mike and her brother Drew both played football at Kentucky. Drew played as a graduate transfer at Cal during the season last fall.
Just Win
Head coach Erica Dambach is among the elite in women's soccer coaching history. She currently ranks 17th all-time in winning percentage (.707) and 49th all-time in wins (263). Dambach has captured 10 Big Ten regular season titles, 4 Big Ten tournament titles and the 2015 national title and an Olympic gold medal.
Minnesota Breakdown
Record: 3-2-1, 3-2-1
Top Scorer: Sadie Harper – 2 Goals, Sophia Boman/Katie Koker - 1 Goal
Scouting Minnesota
Minnesota last competed on March 14, shutting out Iowa 1-0 in Iowa City. Boman netted her first career goal in the win for the Gophers. So far this season, three Gophers have earned weekly Big Ten honors: Boman, Koker and Megan Plaschko. Boman was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on March 16, while Koker and Plaschko earned Defensive Player of the Week and Goalkeeper of the Week honors on March 9.