UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 4 Penn State women's soccer prepares for its final regular season contest of the 2023 campaign on Sunday afternoon, as the Nittany Lions place their Big Ten Championship hopes on the line against the No. 21 Wisconsin Badgers in a 1 p.m. (ET) contest. The match will air live to a national television audience on the Big Ten Network, with streaming available via the FOX Sports App.
MATCH INFORMATION
#21 WISCONSIN at #4 PENN STATE
Halloween at Jeffrey | Decision Sunday
Sunday, October 22, 2023 | 1 p.m. (ET)
Jeffrey Field | University Park, Pa.
Watch Live: Big Ten Network
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
PARKING & PROMOTIONS
Sunday afternoon's match and regular season finale will serve as Penn State's Halloween at Jeffrey celebration, with fans invited to wear costumes and show their Halloween spirit. Members of the Park Avenue Army, the official student section of Penn State soccer, are invited to stick around after the match for a team photo with the Nittany Lions in recognition of their tireless support of the 30th 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 season opener against North Carolina will be broadcast nationally via the Big Ten Network, with streaming available on the FOX Sports App. Click here and sign in with credentials to follow along with the action. Dean Linke will provide play-by-play commentary, while Illinois alumna and former All-B1G athlete Jackie Manny will serve as the broadcast's analyst. The contest will be Penn State's first nationally televised match from Jeffrey Field since booking a scoreless draw against North Carolina on Aug. 17. Live stats provided by Penn State and StatBroadcast are available by clicking here.
KICKIN' IT
The Blue & White return to action following an all-around team effort and 2-0 win over the 19th-ranked Indana Hoosiers Thursday evening in University Park. PSU called on senior+ defender Kate Wiesner and redshirt sophomore midfielder Julia Raich to knock in a pair of bangers to secure a pivotal Big Ten Conference victory. The Nittany Lions seek their first unbeaten regular season finish since the 2005 team entered the postseason with an untouched 19-0-0 record. PSU went on to finish the 2005 season with a 23-0-2 overall record and a Women's College Cup appearance. Should the Nittany Lions win Sunday, they would become the 10th undefeated B1G Champion all-time.
LAST TIME OUT: INDIANA
No. 4 Penn State utilized a pair of impressive goals by senior+ defender Kate Wiesner and redshirt sophomore midfielder Julia Raich to move three points closer to a B1G title, downing the No. 19 Indiana Hoosiers by a 2-0 score Thursday night on Jeffrey Field. Thursday night's battle between the Nittany Lions and Hoosiers pitted a pair of impressive defensive squads against one another, with a relatively low shot total to show for it. Penn State eked out a 10-8 differential in total shot attempts as well as a strong 5-2 edge in shots on goal. Penn State returned to its winning ways in the corner kick competition, notching five attempts against the lone Hoosier try that tied for the fewest corners given up by the Nittany Lions in B1G play this season.
SELECTION CONNECTION
During the halftime intermission of Thursday night's ACC Network broadcast of North Carolina against Notre Dame, the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament Selection Committee published a midseason top-16 report, with Penn State appearing as the No. 1 overall seed nationally. PSU was selected due to the strength of its overall schedule, with the Blue & White going 3-0-1 in non-conference tests against top-50 RPI opponents. Florida State, North Carolina and Stanford rounded out the top four overall seeds, implying that PSU in addition to those three institutions would have the opportunity to host tournament matches until the Women's College Cup, pending advancement. The 2023 championship field will consist of 31 automatic qualifiers and 33 at-large selections, which will be revealed on Monday, Nov. 6 at 4 p.m. (ET) on NCAA.com.
BATTLING THE BADGERS
Led by Nittany Lion legend and veteran head coaching presence Paula Wilkins, the Badgers arrive in Happy Valley boasting an 11-3-3 overall record paired with a 6-2-1 conference mark, leaving the door open mathematically for a potential B1G title. The Badgers arrive in University Park fresh off a 3-0 rout of the Maryland Terrapins on Thursday highlighted by a hat trick from reigning B1G Midfielder of the Year Emma Jaskaniec. The redshirt senior midfielder leads the Badgers in overall scoring (24) and goals (10), with Aryssa Mahrt pacing the squad in assists with five. Erin McKinney holds things down between the pipes, logging 47 saves with an 0.810 save percentage in 2023.
STORY OF THE SERIES
Penn State and Wisconsin gear up for one of the most consequential meetings in series history on Sunday, with the Nittany Lions and Badgers set to square off for the 34th time since their first fixture in 1994. PSU maintains a dominant 24-5-4 overall record in the series highlighted by wins in each of the last three dating to 2019. The Blue & White challenged the Badgers twice last season, with PSU picking up a dominant 3-0 win in the regular season meeting on Jeffrey Field. Ally Schlegel propelled Penn State to a 1-0 upset of the third-seeded Badgers during last year's B1G Tournament quarterfinal in Madison.
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.
