UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State women’s soccer program garnered four national television designations from the Big Ten Network, including one non-conference matchup and a pair of home matches at Jeffrey Field, the network announced Tuesday.
All four of Penn State’s nationally televised matches will be contested against opponents who reached the 2023 NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Tournament, with three opponents reaching either the Round of 16 or the Elite Eight. The Nittany Lions will challenge fellow 2023 Elite Eight opponent Nebraska on the road in early October, in addition to a pair of battles against Sweet 16 rivals Texas Tech and Michigan State. UCLA rounds out the quartet of nationally televised opponents for Penn State, with the first meeting of the two teams as conference rivals coming in Los Angeles in the penultimate match week of the season.
The Blue & White open the season on national television for the second year in a row on Jeffrey Field, welcoming the Red Raiders to Happy Valley on Thursday, August 15, with kickoff slated for 7 p.m. (ET). Texas Tech returns to action following a 16-2-5 overall season in 2023 that featured a trip to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, tying the longest national postseason run in the program’s history. The Red Raiders return First Team All-Big 12 forward Ashleigh Williams from last season’s team, resulting in the most productive scoring season of her career with 34 points split between 14 goals and six assists. Penn State and Texas Tech will square off for the first time in program history to open the 2024 campaign.
A budding Big Ten Conference rivalry will be renewed on Sunday, September 22, as the winningest program in B1G history faces off against the two-time defending conference regular season champions. PSU plays host to Michigan State on Jeffrey Field with kickoff slated for 2 p.m. (ET) in the second half of a doubleheader Sunday matinee broadcast. Penn State and Michigan State battle on national television for the second year in a row, with the Blue & White taking the meeting in East Lansing last season by a dominant 3-1 margin. PSU looks to extend its lead in the all-time series, with the Nittany Lions currently leading 26-6-0 against the Spartans.
The Nittany Lions return to battle against a familiar foe in the Nebraska Cornhuskers in 2024, challenging their midwestern opponent for the second year in a row. Last year’s Nebraska team rolled to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, matching the deepest run in program history alongside the 1996 and 1999 teams. Although multiple Nebraska stars from last year’s squad went on to start professional careers this season, the Cornhuskers return veteran forward Sarah Weber for another year following an All-B1G season a year ago. Penn State took last year’s meeting on Jeffrey Field by a 1-0 tally thanks to a set-piece match-winning goal, with the Nittany Lions leading the all-time series 7-3-2 overall.
The City of Angels plays host to one of the most anticipated matchups of the 2024 women’s college soccer season, as perennial powerhouse programs in UCLA and Penn State face off for the first time as Big Ten challengers. The Bruins battled for their second NCAA Championship in program history in 2022, but ultimately failed to escape the first round of the NCAA Tournament a season ago following a stunning upset by the UC Irvine Anteaters. Despite suffering at the hands of last year’s Cinderella in women’s soccer, UCLA returns a deep and talented roster ahead of their first Big Ten campaign. PSU and UCLA will square off for just the seventh time, with both squads splitting the prior six meetings 3-3.
Penn State returns to action for its 31st varsity season in 2024 returning a wide array of talent and production from a 2023 roster that advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five years. Returning All-Big Ten athletes in forward Kaitlyn MacBean and defender Mieke Schiemann highlight the corps of returners, with Schiemann joining Devon Olive, Olivia Damico and Rowan Lapi as the program’s captains for the year. PSU rolled to a 16-3-4 overall record with a 6-1-3 mark in Big Ten Conference competition, earning the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament in addition to a semifinal bid in the process. The Nittany Lions secured their seventh consecutive trip to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, rallied for a spot in the National Quarterfinals and extended the nation’s second-longest NCAA appearance streak to 29 consecutive bids.
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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.