UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Fifth-ranked and second-seeded Penn State prepares for its seventh consecutive third-round appearance with the continuation of the 2023 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship, as the Nittany Lions square off against the sixth-seeded and 21st-ranked Saint Louis Billikens in a 1 p.m. (ET) kick Sunday afternoon on Jeffrey Field. Streaming is available to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via ESPN+.
MATCH INFORMATION
#21 SAINT LOUIS [6] at #5 PENN STATE [2]
NCAA Tournament Third Round
Sunday, November 19, 2023 | 1 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 seventh consecutive NCAA Tournament third-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 third round of the 2023 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship is available for prepayment through the end of Saturday 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 11 a.m. (ET) Sunday morning through the end of NCAA tournament third-round competition.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
For fans unable to attend in person, Penn State's NCAA Tournament third-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. Juan Mendez will provide play-by-play commentary, while Jake Irwin will serve as the broadcast's analyst. Live stats provided by Penn State and StatBroadcast are available by clicking here.
KICKIN' IT
The Blue & White continued their dominant stretch of performances to open tournament action, downing the seventh-seeded and 23rd-ranked Santa Clara Broncos by a 2-0 margin on Friday night to secure their seventh-straight trip to the third round. PSU's run of consecutive appearances in the round of 16 is tied for the longest active streak in Division I, matching the Florida State Seminoles as the only two programs to appear in every tournament's third round since the 2017 season. Senior+ forward Payton Linnehan continued to impress in PSU's win over Santa Clara, becoming the highest-scoring player in the tournament with four goals and an assist through two matches. Linnehan added an assist on PSU's match-winning score with an additional goal of her own. Senior+ midfielder Cori Dyke's added another PSU record to her resume against the Broncos, moving into first place all-time at PSU for career minutes played by a fielder with 8,854.
LAST TIME OUT: SANTA CLARA
Second-seeded and fifth-ranked Penn State utilized a dominant first half and unwavering defense to pick up an impressive 2-0 result over the Santa Clara Broncos in the second round of the 2023 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship Friday night on Jeffrey Field. Friday's historic performance on Jeffrey Field saw the Nittany Lions maintain a stalwart effort defensively, with the Broncos picking up a 13-5 win on the shot chart overall. The Blue & White managed to place all five of their total shots on frame while Santa Clara finished the night with just four on-target tries. PSU was held without a corner kick attempt for the second time this season, an even more significant anomaly when considering that Penn State has outscored its opponent by a combined 5-0 margin this season when failing to record a corner.
SECOND ROUND SHENANIGANS
The second round of the 2023 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship featured a wide array of dramatic results and significant upsets, highlighted by the continued success of the unseeded UC Irvine Anteaters. After upsetting defending national champion UCLA by a 1-0 margin in the first round, UCI booked a 2-1 upset of eighth-seeded Gonzaga to reach the third round. Three of the 16 teams in the third round of the NCAA Tournament represent the Big Ten Conference, with Penn State, Michigan State and Nebraska each punching their tickets. The Big Ten is tied for the second-most teams in the third round alongside the Big 12 Conference. The ACC leads the nation with four teams remaining, while the SEC stands in fourth with two teams. The American, Atlantic 10, Big West and Pac-12 each have one team still in the hunt. Six-seed Memphis booked a dramatic 3-2 finish against the third-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish, while No. 7 seed Pittsburgh pulled a stunning 4-3 upset of second-seeded Arkansas on the road in Fayetteville. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is one of just three states with multiple teams remaining in the tournament (PSU, PITT), joining Texas (TEX, TTU) and California (STAN, UCI).
BATTLING THE BILLIKENS
Sixth-seed Saint Louis prepares for its first third-round appearance in program history Sunday afternoon after upsetting third-seeded Georgetown by a 2-1 margin on Jeffrey Field Friday afternoon. Under the direction of 11-year head coach Katie Shields, the Billikens earned the automatic bid out of the Atlantic 10 Conference and maintain one of the longest active win streaks in the nation with 12 straight wins and 18 consecutive unbeaten results. On the pitch, Saint Louis is led by two of the most dominant student-athletes in the nation in junior forward Emily Gaebe and senior goalkeeper Emily Puricelli. Gaebe paces the team in scoring with 39 points while leading the squad with 15 goals and nine assists. Puricelli stands watch over the goal, booking 91 assists this season with a 0.892 save percentage.
AGAINST THE A10
Sunday afternoon's NCAA Tournament clash between the Nittany Lions and Billikens will be the first meeting of the two programs in each university's history. PSU will face off against a current member of the Atlantic 10 Conference for the 18th time since the program's inception in 1994. The Nittany Lions are a perfect 17-0 in prior contests against A10 members, highlighted by a 6-0 record against George Mason, a 4-0 mark against Duquesne, a 3-0 ledger against La Salle, 2-0 tally against St. Bonaventure and one win apiece against UMass and Richmond.
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.
