UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Fifth-ranked and second-seeded Penn State continues its 29th consecutive run through the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship with second-round action against the seventh-seeded and 23rd-ranked Santa Clara Broncos on Jeffrey Field. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. (ET) on Friday, Nov. 17, with the match streaming live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
MATCH INFORMATION
#23 SANTA CLARA [7] at #5 PENN STATE [2]
NCAA Tournament Second Round
Friday, November 17, 2023 | 6 p.m. (ET)
Jeffrey Field | University Park, Pa.
Watch Live: ESPN+
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
TICKETS & PARKING
Fans interested in visiting Jeffrey Field to cheer on the Nittany Lions in their 15th consecutive NCAA Tournament second round appearance are encouraged to arrive early and visit the ticketing booth outside the main entry gate of Jeffrey Field on the east side of the facility. Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for college students and $3 for children and groups. Tickets are not available for sale online, but credit cards and cash are accepted as payment at the booth on the day of the event.
Parking for the second round of the 2023 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship is available for prepayment through the end of Thursday night through the ParkMobile app, or by clicking here. Fans are encouraged to prepay for event parking at a discounted rate of $5.50, which is available through 11:59 p.m. the day before the event. If fans prepay, please show the parking attendant the QR code permit attached to your purchase. The QR code permit is downloadable from ParkMobile's confirmation email. Fans are encouraged to check their spam folders if the confirmation does not arrive in their main inbox. All Jeffrey Field parking lots become cash lots at a price of $10 beginning at 1 p.m. (ET) Friday afternoon through the end of the night.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
For fans unable to attend in person, Penn State's NCAA Tournament second round match on Jeffrey Field will be streamed live to a worldwide audience via ESPN+ and the ESPN app. Fans must be subscribed to ESPN+ in order to access the live stream of the match. Authenticated subscribers are invited to click here and sign in to ESPN+ on their mobile phones, computers, smart TVs and other connected devices to follow along. Mac Young will provide play-by-play commentary, while Juan Mendez will serve as the broadcast's analyst. Live stats provided by Penn State and StatBroadcast are available by clicking here.
KICKIN' IT
Penn State roared out of the gates offensively to open the 2023 NCAA Tournament, combining for the most first-round goals and total points in the Championship's opening weekend with a thrilling 7-0 rout of the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils. Senior+ forward Payton Linnehan led the way for the Blue & White in the opening round of action, notching her second career hat trick and the 24th hat trick in Penn State program history in just 25 minutes of work. Linnehan's offensive output was one of two hat tricks in the tournament's opening round, matching the production from Arkansas' Bella Field in the Razorbacks' 5-0 home victory over Grambling. PSU joins Florida State as the only two programs nationally to win a first-round match in each of the last 15 years, booking at least one NCAA Tournament win in every season since 2009. The Blue & White seek their seventh-straight Sweet 16 appearance on Friday against Santa Clara.
SQUAD GOALS (X7)
Fifth-ranked and second-seeded Penn State roared past the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils by a 7-0 margin in opening round action of the 2023 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship from Jeffrey Field on Friday, Nov. 10. Penn State recorded the most opening-round goals in the 2023 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship against the Blue Devils while simultaneously scoring 22 points in the contest, also a 2023 tournament high. PSU booked seven goals and eight assists in the contest, surpassing the next-highest scoring total set by Pittsburgh in their 6-0 result against Ohio State last week. Payton Linnehan led the way with three goals, while Cori Dyke, Kaitlyn MacBean and Elle Kershner each booked two assists.The win marked the largest margin of victory in any NCAA Tournament match since Alabama recorded a 9-0 win over Jackson State in last year's first round.
PAYTON'S PLACES
Senior+ forward Payton Linnehan continues her 2023 campaign, leading the Nittany Lions in points (19) and goals scored (eight). Her 0.50 goals per match ranks as the seventh-best mark among B1G women's soccer athletes and stands as the 61st-best mark in Division I women's soccer. She ranks eighth in the B1G in total goals and 11th in total points. In Penn State's first round NCAA Tournament match against CCSU, Linnehan booked the 24th all-time hat trick in Nittany Lion history and first since Sam Coffey in 2021. The trio of scores marked her second career hat trick, making her just the fourth Nittany Lion in program history to score multiple hat tricks in a career. She joins Christie Welsh, Tiffany Weimer and Katie Schoepfer on the esteemed list.
BATTLING THE BRONCOS
Seventh-seeded Santa Clara earned an at-large bid to its ninth-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance out of the West Coast Conference. The Broncos are under the direction of 37-year head coaching veteran Jerry Smith, who has led Santa Clara to a 14-4-2 overall record this season paired with a 6-2-0 regular season mark against WCC foes. SC defeated Arizona State by a 3-0 score at home to advance to the second round. On the pitch, Santa Clara is led by standout sophomore forward Farrah Walters, who paces the squad with 24 points and 11 goals. Sally Menti leads the team in assists with eight, while Marlee Nicolos stands watch over the goal with 43 saves and a 0.843 save percentage.
STORY OF THE SERIES
A clash of two women's soccer powerhouses, Penn State and Santa Clara get set for their sixth all-time meeting with Friday night's test in University Park. The Nittany Lions maintain a solid 3-1-1 edge on the Broncos all-time and are deadlocked with Santa Clara 1-1 heading into the third postseason meeting of the two programs. PSU's only loss to the Broncos came in the 1996 NCAA Tournament second round on Nov. 24 of that season, with the Nittany Lions returning the favor at home in the 2005 season.
In last year's regular season meeting in Santa Clara, Penn State recorded a gritty 1-0 victory thanks to a 14th-minute own goal by the Broncos.
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.
