CLEMSON, S.C. – Fifth-ranked and second-seeded Penn State gets set for its first national quarterfinal appearance since 2018 on Saturday afternoon, as the Nittany Lions square off against the seventh-ranked and top-seeded Clemson Tigers in NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship action from Riggs Field. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. (ET), with streaming available to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via ESPN+.
MATCH INFORMATION
#5 PENN STATE [2] at #7 CLEMSON [1]
NCAA NATIONAL QUARTERFINAL
Saturday, November 25, 2023 | 1 p.m. (ET)
Riggs Field | Clemson, S.C.
Watch Live: ESPN+
Live Stats: NCAA Live Stats
Purchase Tickets
TICKETS AND FAN INFORMATION
For fans interested in traveling to Clemson to support the Nittany Lions in their hunt for the program's first NCAA Women's College Cup appearance since the 2015 season, click here to purchase tickets for Saturday afternoon's quarterfinal contest. Parking near Riggs Field is available to all fans in lot E-5, with accessible parking available in lot E-31 on adjacent sides of the Sloan Tennis Center. For more information on amenities at Historic Riggs Field, click the link here to access the Clemson women's soccer match day page. For more information about the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championships, click here to be redirected to the NCAA women's soccer webpage.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
For fans in Central Pennsylvania, and members of Nittany Nation around the world, Penn State's NCAA national quarterfinal match at Clemson is slated to stream to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via ESPN+. Click here and sign in with your ESPN+ subscription to access the live broadcast from Riggs Field. Pete Yanity will provide play-by-play commentary of the contest, while Kevin Kennedy will serve as the broadcast's analyst. Live stats provided by the NCAA and Clemson University are available by clicking here.
KICKIN' IT
PSU returns to action following an exhilarating 4-3 overtime victory over the sixth-seeded and 21st-ranked Saint Louis Billikens last weekend in Happy Valley. The Nittany Lions got out to a 2-0 lead but surrendered three unanswered goals before tying the match in the last three minutes on a Mieke Schiemann header. Payton Linnehan's strike in the 98th minute sent the Blue & White to the national quarterfinals for the first time in five years. Penn State will make its 14th appearance in the national quarterfinals all-time on Saturday, with the Nittany Lions advancing to the Women's College Cup on five prior occasions. The Blue & White maintain a 5-8 record in the quarterfinals all-time with their last win coming in 2015. Through three NCAA Tournament matches, Penn State owns the most goals, assists and total points in the tournament field of 64. Payton Linnehan leads all tournament participants in total goals (5) and points (11) while Kaitlyn MacBean ranks second in total assists with four.
LAST TIME OUT: SAINT LOUIS (NCAA THIRD ROUND)
In one of the most dramatic contests of the 2023 season, fifth-ranked and second-seeded Penn State overcame a late deficit against 21st-ranked and sixth-seeded Saint Louis to reach the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship, logging a 4-3 overtime win over the Billikens to advance on Jeffrey Field Sunday afternoon. PSU published a dominant differential in multiple statistical categories, highlighted by an astonishing 24-13 margin on the shot chart overall, the fifth-most total shot attempts by a Nittany Lion squad this year. The Blue & White were also much more aggressive in placing shots on goal, doubling the Billikens up by an 8-4 tally. In the corner kick competition, the Nittany Lions booked three attempts against a lone try from Saint Louis.
QUINTESSENTIAL QUARTERFINALS
In addition to Penn State's marquee matchup at Clemson, the only No. 1 vs. No. 2-seeded matchup in the quarterfinals, three other matches will take place across the country on Friday, Nov. 24. Top-seeded Florida State faces off against seventh-seeded Pittsburgh in the Tallahassee regional final, with the Seminoles fresh off a 5-0 thrashing of the Texas Longhorns. Pitt enters the match as the lowest remaining seed in the tournament with some of the most impressive results, downing No. 2 seed Arkansas on the road and reaching the quarters with a 3-0 win over Memphis. No. 1 seed BYU reached the quarterfinals with a 1-0 result against USC and a 3-1 win over Michigan State in the third round. The Cougars host third-seeded North Carolina, which has not conceded a shot on goal in the last two matches. UNC recorded a pair of 1-0 results last weekend against sixth-seeded Alabama and second-seeded Texas Tech. Second-seeded Stanford plays host to fifth-seeded Nebraska in the regional final for the bottom right quadrant of the bracket. The Cardinal tallied a 3-0 result at home over South Carolina before dispatching with Mississippi State in a close 1-0 result. Nebraska beat Tennessee by a 2-1 margin in the second round and advanced to the national quarterfinals following a dominant 4-0 performance against the cinderella-UC Irvine Anteaters.
BONUS POINTS
Since the start of the NCAA Tournament on Nov. 10, Penn State has been one of the most explosive offensive units in the nation. The Nittany Lions boast the highest scoring offense in the tournament, tied with Pittsburgh for the most goals per match with 4.33. The Nittany Lions also rank first in the tournament field in points per match (14.67), assists per match (6.00), total assists (18), total goals (13) and total points (44). Penn State's display of dominance in the tournament has the Nittany Lions ranked as the No. 2 team in the field in terms of goal differential, with PSU's +10 scoring margin trailing Florida State by a narrow one-goal difference.
TAKING ON THE TIGERS
Top-seeded and seventh-ranked Clemson prepares for its first national quarterfinal match since the 2020-21 spring campaign and just its second quarterfinal at home in program history, as the Tigers arrive in the Elite Eight boasting a 17-3-4 overall record. Clemson has suffered three losses this year, with two coming against Florida State and one against Notre Dame. The Tigers defeated Radford and Columbia before advancing past Georgia in PKs. On the pitch, Makenna Morris leads the team in scoring (24) and goals (9) while Jenna Tobia and Dani Davis pace the roster with eight assists apiece. Between the pipes, Halle Mackiewicz leads the team with 54 saves and a 0.783 save percentage.
STORY OF THE SERIES
Penn State will square off against Clemson for just the second time ever on Saturday afternoon, with the Nittany Lions picking up a win on Jeffrey Field in the only prior contest. PSU registered a hard-fought 1-0 win over the Tigers on Nov. 21, 1998 in the third round of the 1998 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship. PSU's stay in the tournament concluded in the following round with a 3-1 quarterfinal defeat at Florida. The Nittany Lions will face a current member of the Atlantic Coast Conference in the NCAA Tournament for the 22nd time on Saturday afternoon, with the Blue & White looking to get back to .500, currently trailing ACC opponents by a 10-11 margin in the postseason.
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.
