UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Fifth-ranked and second-seeded Penn State women's soccer opens its 29th-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance on Friday, Nov. 10, as the Nittany Lions play host to the Northeast Conference champion Central Connecticut State Blue Devils in a 6 p.m. start on Jeffrey Field. The match will stream live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
MATCH INFORMATION
CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE at #5 PENN STATE [2]
NCAA Tournament First Round
Friday, November 10, 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 the opening round of their 29th consecutive NCAA Tournament 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 opening 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 3 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 first 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 Mac Young 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 return to the pitch after an eight-day hiatus from play following a narrow 1-0 overtime loss to the eventual B1G Tournament champion Iowa Hawkeyes last Thursday in Columbus, Ohio. PSU and Iowa battled to a scoreless tie through regulation, but Iowa managed a match-winner in the 95th minute to advance to the league final. In the Nittany Lion B1G semifinal defeat to Iowa, senior+ midfielder and team captain Cori Dyke became the Penn State all-time career record holder for matches started and moved into a tie for first in total appearances following her 104th. Penn State's streak of 29 consecutive NCAA Tournament berths stands as the second-longest active streak across all Division I women's soccer programs. PSU booked its first postseason berth in 1995 and has appeared in every tournament since.
THE STANDARD IS THE STANDARD
Penn State enters its 29th consecutive NCAA Tournament as the only program from the Big Ten Conference to appear in every postseason event since 1995. The Nittany Lions boast one of the strongest postseason resumes across all of Division I women's soccer, winning the 2015 National Championship, appearing in two National Championship matches (2012, 2015) and earning five Women's College Cup showings (1999, 2002, 2005, 2012, 2015). Penn State has advanced to the quarterfinals 13 times with a 5-8 mark in those matches. In NCAA Tournament action at home, the Nittany Lions have amassed an impressive record of 43-7-1 at Jeffrey Field, outscoring opponents 155-38. Penn State has hosted the first round in each of the last 11 seasons excluding the 2020-21 spring slate, a streak dating to the 2011 campaign. The entire 2020-21 NCAA Tournament was held in Cary, North Carolina, for precautionary reasons during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Nittany Lions are 22-3 in first-round matches (PSU received byes from the first round in 1998, 1999 & 2000) and PSU is in the midst of a 13-match first-round winning streak.
29TH TIME'S THE CHARM
After landing their 29th-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament on Monday, Nov. 6, the Nittany Lions officially cemented themselves in second place for the longest active NCAA Tournament streak in Division I. Penn State previously trailed longtime tournament participant and ACC-rival Virginia, but after the Cavaliers failed to reach the 2023 Tournament following an 8-3-6 overall season, PSU moved into sole possession of second place. Virginia had appeared in every tournament from 1994, Penn State's inaugural campaign, through a quarterfinal appearance in the 2022 season. Non-conference rival and 21-time NCAA Champion North Carolina is the only program in the nation with a longer Tournament selection streak than Penn State, appearing in all 42 NCAA Tournaments since the highest governing body in collegiate athletics adopted the sport in the fall of 1982.
BATTLING THE BLUE DEVILS
Central Connecticut State arrives in Happy Valley as the automatic qualifier representing the Northeast Conference, earning the league's bid after securing their 13th conference tournament crown in program history. The Blue Devils are 10-4-5 overall this season and booked a 7-0-3 ledger against conference foes. CCSU will make its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2018 campaign on Friday in University Park. The Blue Devils are led by 24-year head coach Mick D'Arcy and are directed on the pitch by NEC Offensive Player of the Year Giavanna Inzerillo. The star striker owns 36 points and 15 goals this season, while Abbie Burgess leads the squad in assists with eight. Goalkeeper Melina Ford paces the squad with 43 assists this year.
AGAINST THE NEC
Penn State and Central Connecticut State get set for their first all-time meeting in women's soccer on Friday evening. PSU will square off against a current member of the Northeast Conference for just the third time in the program's 30 varsity seasons. The match will also the the second all-time posteason meeting against an NEC challenger. En route to its first NCAA Women's College Cup appearance of the Erica Dambach era, PSU faced off against LIU in the opening round of the 2012 tournament on Jeffrey Field, logging a 4-0 result. PSU faced Saint Francis in a 2001 regular season meeting on Oct. 23 of that year, booking a 5-0 victory.
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.
