UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 4 Penn State women's soccer returns to the friendly confines of Jeffrey Field on Sunday, as the Nittany Lions play host to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the program's annual Wear White match. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m., with streaming in both English and Spanish available to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+.
MATCH INFORMATION
OHIO STATE at #4 PENN STATE
Wear White
Sunday, October 8, 2023 | 1 p.m. (ET)
Jeffrey Field | University Park, Pa.
Watch Live: B1G+ | B1G+ en Español
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
PARKING & PROMOTIONS
Penn State's Sunday showdown with the rival Ohio State Buckeyes will serve as the program's annual Wear White match. Fans are encouraged to arrive early, get loud and Wear White to support the B1G-leading Nittany Lions in this weekend's matchup against the Buckeyes. Fans are also encouraged to stick around after the match to meet members of the Blue & White in a postmatch autograph session, with an additional Kids Run the Pitch opportunity at the conclusion of Sunday's action.
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
Sunday afternoon's broadcast of PSU versus Ohio State marks the first Spanish-language broadcast in the history of B1G+. The landmark streaming event is a cooperative effort between Penn State's Bellisario College of Communications, CommRadio, the Big Ten Network and Penn State Athletics. Juan Mendez and Carlos Garcia will be on the call Sunday in addition to standard English-language B1G+ coverage from Mac Young and Cailey Thalman. Click here to tune into Penn State's traditional English-language coverage and click here to follow along with the Spanish-language broadcast. Live stats provided by Penn State and StatBroadcast are available by clicking here.
KICKIN' IT
The Nittany Lions return to action following an impressive 3-1 road victory over the defending B1G regular season champion Michigan State Spartans last weekend in East Lansing. PSU utilized an early goal from Payton Linnehan on a brilliant service from Eva Alonso to set the tone, with Kaitlyn MacBean and Cori Dyke tacking on a goal apiece. Entering the second half of Big Ten Conference competition, Penn State battled for sole possession of the top spot on the league table following last Sunday's win over MSU. Penn State leads the B1G with 13 total points after roaring out of the gates for a 4-0-1 start in league matches coupled with a 10-0-2 mark overall.
LAST TIME OUT: MICHIGAN STATE
No. 4 Penn State tallied a pair of first-half goals and rode a wave of defensive momentum to a 3-1 result over the defending Big Ten regular season champion Michigan State Spartans last Sunday in East Lansing. With the win, PSU moved ahead of MSU for sole possession of the top spot on the B1G table with 13 points through five matches. Despite Sunday's final score line, the match proved to be a tale of two wildly different halves, with Penn State dominating the opening 45 minutes and Michigan State responding in the second frame. The Spartans ultimately came away with a narrow 12-10 differential on the shot chart and mustered six shots on goal against Penn State's three. MSU also snagged a win in the corner kick battle, booking eight against the lone Nittany Lion try.
READING THE RPI
Penn State stands as the nation's No. 1 team in the most recent release of the NCAA RPI (rating percentage index), one of the most critical tools used in determining seeding and selection for the NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament. The RPI ranks teams based on wins, losses and strength of schedule. The Nittany Lions maintain an RPI value of 0.727, leading second-ranked North Carolina. Penn State has held the top spot in the NCAA Division I RPI in each of the last two weeks. PSU also maintains the top spot in the nation's premier women's soccer conference. The Big Ten boasts the most top-40 RPI teams in Division I with eight, leading the SEC's mark of seven. Expanded to the top-60, the Big Ten and SEC each boast 10 teams, with the ACC coming in third with seven.
BATTLING THE BUCKEYES
Under the direction of Big Ten legend and 29-year head coaching veteran Lori Walker-Hock, Ohio State arrives in Happy Valley boasting a 7-3-2 overall record with a 3-1-1 start to B1G play. The Buckeyes got off to a sluggish start in conference action, tying Michigan State and falling to Nebraska before rattling off three wins in a row over Maryland, Indiana and Illinois. Junior Kailyn Dudukovich has been dominant for Ohio State this season, leading the team in overall scoring (22) and goals (9) while tying for the assist lead (4) with freshman phenom Amanda Schlueter. Veteran goalkeeper Molly Pritchard leads the team with 41 saves and a 0.732 save percentage.
STORY OF THE SERIES
A rivalry series that dates to Penn State's inaugural season in 1994, PSU and Ohio State get set for their 36th all-time meeting this weekend in Happy Valley. The Blue & White maintain a dominant 24-9-2 edge overall but have not won a match against the Buckeyes since a hard-fought 3-2 road decision in the 2019 season. Last season's meeting in Columbus saw the Buckeyes blank Penn State in a 3-0 outing. Kayla Fischer, Maddy Lowe and Emma Sears each scored a goal for OSU. Penn State's last win over OSU came on Oct. 6, 2019, on the road in Columbus. The Nittany Lions surged ahead by a 3-0 margin, but Ohio State battled late to add a pair of goals.
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.
