UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 4 Penn State women's soccer enters its final match week of the 2023 regular season and prepares for its penultimate matchup against the No. 19 Indiana Hoosiers Thursday evening. Kickoff from Jeffrey Field is scheduled for 7 p.m., with streaming available to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+.
MATCH INFORMATION
#19 INDIANA at #4 PENN STATE
Pink Match
Thursday, October 19, 2023 | 7 p.m. (ET)
Jeffrey Field | University Park, Pa.
Watch Live: B1G+
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
PARKING & PROMOTIONS
Penn State's Thursday night test against Indiana will serve as the program's Pink Match. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to Thursday evening's match to show support and solidarity in the fight against breast cancer. Penn State students are also encouraged to arrive early and get loud, as the first 150 Nittany Lion students in attendance will be provided with a free Penn State soccer scarf to rally the Blue & White down the home stretch of the 2023 season.
Parking for all Penn State women's soccer matches will require a valid permit or payment of the applicable parking fee for campus lots. Fans with valid Penn State University parking permits will be permitted to park at women's soccer matches for free, following Transportation Services parking policies and access. For women's soccer matches, fans are asked to park in the Jordan East, Stadium West or Porter North lots. Fans without a permit are encouraged to prepay for event parking at a discounted rate of $5.50 through the ParkMobile app, or by clicking here. Prepayment is available through 11:59 p.m. the day before each event. Event day parking will be $10 per vehicle.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
For fans unable to attend in person, Penn State's Pink Match and final regular season night match under the Jeffrey Field lights will be streamed live to a worldwide audience via B1G+. Authenticated subscribers are invited to click here and sign in to B1G+ on their mobile phones, computers, smart TVs and other connected devices to follow along. Juan Mendez will provide play-by-play commentary, while Mac Young will serve as the broadcast's analyst. Cailey Thalman will serve as Thursday night's sideline reporter. Live stats provided by Penn State and StatBroadcast are available by clicking here.
KICKIN' IT
The Nittany Lions return to action following an 0-0-2 week on the road against Purdue and Northwestern a week ago. In PSU's shorthanded 2-2 draw against the Wildcats, graduate goalkeepeer Katherine Asman matched her career high with 11 saves and set a new B1G season-high for saves in a single match this season, while sophomore midfielder Olivia Borgen found the back of the net on two occasions for her first collegiate brace. PSU maintains an 11-0-4 overall record and a 5-0-3 mark against Big Ten challengers, with the Blue & White picking up eight-straight Big Ten unbeaten results for the first time since the 2016 campaign. Should Penn State defeat or draw with Indiana on Thursday, the Nittany Lions will book their longest unbeaten B1G stretch since 2012. Asman and Borgen both hauled in weekly honors this week, with Asman booking her second consecutive B1G Goalkeeper of the Week accolade and third overall this season, while Borgen notched her first national recognition on the TopDrawerSoccer Honorable Mention National Team of the Week.
LAST TIME OUT: NORTHWESTERN
Sophomore midfielder Olivia Borgen notched her first collegiate brace, graduate goalkeeper Katherine Asman tied her career high in saves and No. 4 Penn State scrapped for a shorthanded 2-2 draw against the Northwestern Wildcats Sunday in Evanston. By virtue of their 65-plus minutes with a woman-up advantage, Northwestern understandably picked up victories in multiple statistical categories. The Wildcats assembled a striking 28-4 edge on the shot chart, with PSU only able to muster one formal shot attempt following the official's red card call in the 24th minute. The Blue & White found the back of the net on their only two shots on goal in the contest while Northwestern tallied 13 shots on goal in total. The Wildcats also narrowly snagged a 4-3 win in the corner kick battle.
TOPDRAWER TALENT
TopDrawerSoccer announced its midseason rankings of the top-100 players in women's college soccer, with a trio of Nittany Lions earning appearances on the list. Senior+ midfielder Cori Dyke led the way for the Blue & White, earning the No. 32 ranking, while junior defender Mieke Schiemann (No. 70) and graduate goalkeeper Katherine Asman (No. 72) rounding out the list. Dyke has been instrumental in PSU's success throughout the regular season, earning starts at both the center back and holding midfield positions. Schiemann has served as a crucial set-piece target while holding down the back line as a center back for PSU. Asman has carved out a reputation for herself as one of the strongest individual goalkeepers in the nation, ranking eighth nationally in save percentage with a 0.885 mark.
HOSTING THE HOOSIERS
Led by fifth-year skipper Erwin van Bennekom, the Indiana Hoosiers enter Thursday night's pivotal B1G test boasting the No. 19 ranking in the nation according to both the United Soccer Coaches and TopDrawerSoccer. IU maintains an 11-1-4 overall record and a strong 5-1-2 start to Big Ten play that has the Hoosiers tied for second in the league. Indiana is led by the formidable attacking presence of Paige Webber, who leads the squad with 26 points and 11 total goals scored this season. Anna Bennett leads the way as a facilitator with seven assists, while stalwart shot-stopper Jamie Gerstenberg leads the team in saves with 39 coupled with a 0.813 save percentage.
STORY OF THE SERIES
In one of the most lopsided series in the history of Big Ten women's soccer, Penn State and Indiana get set for the 33rd all-time meeting this week in University Park. The Nittany Lions maintain a striking 28-1-3 overall record against IU, with the Blue & White owning a 28-match unbeaten streak. Indiana's only win came in the 1996 Big Ten Tournament when the Hoosiers logged a narrow 1-0 victory over PSU in its third season. Last year's contest in Bloomington featured the first tie in the series since 2016, as neither team managed an icebreaker in what proved to be a scoreless draw to open B1G play.
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.
