LOS ANGELES, Ca. – It has been 16 years since the Penn State women's soccer program has squared off against Southern California, and they will do just that as the Nittany Lions travel to No. 11 USC for the NCAA Championship Second Round match on November 19.
It will be the fourth overall meeting between the Nittany Lions and the Trojans, with PSU leading the overall series 2-1. However, it will be the first time the Lions and Trojans play against each other in the postseason.
Also playing on the same side of the bracket and at host site, USC, will be Hofstra and South Carolina. The winners of Friday's matches will play in the NCAA Tournament Third Round at 3 pm ET on November 21 at USC's Soni McAlister Field.
Game Information
Date: Friday, November 19 | 1:30 p.m. ET
Location: Soni McAlister Field – Los Angeles, CA
Series History: PSU, 2-1 | Last Meeting: Sept. 11, 2005 – PSU W, 3-1
Live Stats
Live Stream
Tickets
Bracket
Penn State Breakdown
Record: 12-7-0, 5-5-0
Top Goal Scorer: Sam Coffey – 8 goals, Ally Schlegel – 8 goals
Top Assists: Sam Coffey – 7 assists
Last time out
Penn State scored three unanswered goals in a 3-1 rout of Monmouth in the NCAA Tournament First Round on Nov. 12 at Jeffrey Field. In the 26th minute, Ally Schlegel headed the ball into the net on a pass from Kerry Abello. The 39th minute saw Payton Linnehan score with assists from Jordan Canniff and Elle Kershner. Rachel Wasserman followed up with a goal assisted by Schlegel in the 75th minute.
Regular Season in Review
PSU faced a strong schedule having the No. 20 RPI among NCAA programs. The Nittany Lions finished the regular season with double digit wins (11-6-0)- a feat that has been accomplished every season in program history. Highlighting the season were four wins over ranked opponents — No. 13 West Virginia, No. 3 Virginia, No. 18 Wisconsin, and No. 19 Purdue.
Last time vs. USC (Sept. 11, 2005)
The No. 4 Nittany Lions defeated the No. 22 Trojans 3-1 in the UCLA Women's Cup. Tiffany Weimer scored 2 goals and assisted with the other PSU goal. That season, PSU went 23-0-2 overall, were the Big Ten Champions and advanced to the NCAA College Cup under head coach Paula Wilkins.
USC Breakdown
Record: 14-3-2, 8-1-2
Top Goal Scorer: Croix Bethune – 16 goals
Top Assists: Croix Bethune – 9 assists
Last time out for USC
The No. 11 Trojans shutout Grand Canyon 6-0 behind Croix Bethune's hat trick in the NCAA Tournament opening round. Bethune scored three goals in the first nine minutes and finished with two assists.
Additional Notes
This is the Penn State women's soccer program's 27th straight trip to the NCAA tournament. PSU is 21-3 in first round matches (received BYEs from first round in 1998, 1999, and 2000), and they currently have a 12-match first round winning streak.
Penn State is 58-24-2 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, advancing to at least the third round of the tournament each of the last four seasons. Erica Dambach has led the Nittany Lions to the College Cup twice and the national championship game in 2012 and 2015, securing Penn State's first national championship in program history in 2015.
Ally Schlegel now has 32 goals in her Penn State career.
Sam Coffey has 53 assists in her career and 29 at Penn State. Coffey moves into a tie for 8th all-time in PSU history with Emily Hurd and Raquel Rodriguez.
Sam Coffey played her 100th career match on Nov. 12 vs Monmouth in the NCAA Tournament First Round.
The Penn State women's soccer season is presented by the Smeal College of Business.
