EVANSTON, Ill. – No. 4 Penn State women's soccer gets set for its final road contest of the 2023 campaign, as the Nittany Lions travel to Chicagoland to face off against the Northwestern Wildcats on Sunday, Oct. 15. Kickoff from Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium is scheduled for 5 p.m. (ET), with a national television broadcast provided via the Big Ten Network and FOX Sports App.
MATCH INFORMATION
#4 PENN STATE at NORTHWESTERN
Sunday, October 15, 2023 | 5 p.m. (ET)
Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium | Evanston, Ill.
Watch Live: BTN
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
FOLLOW THE ACTION
For fans in Central Pennsylvania, and members of Nittany Nation around the world, Penn State's highly anticipated matchup against Michigan State is set for a national television broadcast via the Big Ten Network, with streaming available on the Fox Sports App. Click here and sign in with your television provider credentials to access the live broadcast. Dean Linke will provide play-by-play commentary, while Lauren Link will provide analysis. Live stats provided by Northwestern University and StatBroadcast are available by clicking here.
KICKIN' IT
In the Nittany Lions' last match out, PSU battled to a scoreless draw on Thursday night against the Purdue Boilermakers on the road in West Lafayette. Redshirt junior forward Kaitlyn MacBean led the way with a career-high six shots, including two on goal, but the Blue & White failed to find the back of the net. On the defensive end, graduate goalkeeper Katherine Asman picked up her 24th career shutout, her sixth of the season. Penn State's unbeaten start to B1G competition is the longest unbeaten stretch against conference foes to open a campaign since the 2016 season. PSU would match the 2016 team's eight-match unbeaten league start with a win or draw in Evanston. Senior+ midfielder Cori Dyke looks to join elite company in Penn State history should she book the start on Sunday against the Wildcats. Dyke would become just the ninth woman in Penn State history to record 100 matches started in a career. She needs four starts to match and five starts to surpass the PSU program record of 103 owned by Megan Mills, a 2001 alumna of the program.
LAST TIME OUT: PURDUE
Graduate goalkeeper Katherine Asman notched her sixth shutout of the 2023 season, but No. 4 Penn State ultimately came away with a scoreless draw against the Purdue Boilermakers Thursday night on the road in West Lafayette. PSU dominated every aspect of the competition except for the final score, crushing their hosts in total shots by a 22-8 tally while doubling the Boilermakers up in shots on goal by an 8-4 margin. Penn State applied relentless pressure to the Purdue backline throughout the contest, compiling an 8-2 lead in the corner kick competition while being saddled with four offsides calls against zero raised flags for the Boilermakers. PSU was also significantly more disciplined in their tackling, surrendering just three fouls versus 10 calls against Purdue.
DESIGNING A DIFFERENTIAL
The Nittany Lions maintain a striking +26 goal differential overall this season, the best scoring difference in the Big Ten Conference and the 10th-best mark nationally. Penn State's remarkable goal differential in 2023 is led by the nation's 32nd-ranked scoring offense, with PSU averaging 2.29 goals per match more than midway through B1G action. PSU's offensive average stands as the third-best in the Big Ten behind Nebraska (2.87) and Michigan State (2.47). The Blue & White have made a name for themselves on the national stage defensively, with PSU's back line producing the nation's eighth-best goals-against average (0.429). Penn State leads the Big Ten Conference, beating second-ranked Iowa by 0.17 goals per match.
WATCHING THE WILDCATS
Under the direction of veteran head coaching presence Michael Moynihan, the Wildcats enter Sunday afternoon's competition after a rollercoaster start to the 2023 season. Northwestern maintains an 8-4-3 overall record paired with a 2-4-1 mark against B1G foes. NU is fresh off a hard-fought 2-1 road victory over Iowa, with its only other B1G win coming against Purdue. Senior sensation and star midfielder Meg Boade leads the way for the Wildcats, pacing the team in scoring with 20 points highlighted by a Big Ten-best 12 assists so far this year. Ella Hase leads the team with eight goals, while Reiley Fitzpatrick paces the squad with 43 saves in goal.
STORY OF THE SERIES
A recently contentious series over the past six years, Penn State and Northwestern get set for the 34th all-time meeting on Sunday afternoon. PSU maintains a dominant 28-5 lead since the first contest between the two institutions in the 1994 season.Penn State will seek its second consecutive victory over the Wildcats, a feat the program has not accomplished since the 2019 and 2020-21 rosters defeated NU in back-to-back seasons. The Nittany Lions lead the series by a narrow 3-2 edge since 2018. The programs met in last season's Big Ten Tournament semifinal at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio, with PSU picking up a convincing 2-0 result over then-No. 12 NU.
FOLLOW THE NITTANY LIONS
Visit GoPSUSports.com for more information on Penn State women's soccer. Fans can keep up to date with the Nittany Lion women's soccer team on X and Instagram @PennStateWSOC, in addition to the team's Facebook page at /PSUWomensSoccer.
The 30th Season of Penn State women's soccer is presented by the Smeal College of Business.
