No. 4 Nittany Lions Welcome No. 8 Texas Tech in Nationally Televised Season Opener
Penn State opens BTN’s women’s soccer coverage for second consecutive year with top-10 test
#8 Texas Tech at #4 Penn State
2023 Record | 16-2-5 | 8-0-2 Big 12
2023 Record | 16-3-4 | 6-1-3 B1G
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 4 Penn State women’s soccer kicks off its 31st varsity campaign, as well as the non-conference portion of its 2024 season on Thursday, August 15, as the Nittany Lions welcome the eighth-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders for a nationally televised matchup from Jeffrey Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. (ET), with the game set to air to a national audience via Big Ten Network with streaming available on the FOX Sports App.
FAN INFORMATION, PARKING & PROMOTIONS
With the start of construction projects benefitting all 800+ student-athletes at Penn State, notably the construction of the Jeffrey Field Soccer Complex at the south end of the facility, elements of the Jeffrey Field match day experience have changed. Due to construction, the grass area behind the south goal will not be accessible to spectators. Spectator entrances are located on either end of Jeffrey Field near the corner flags on the south side of the facility. For more spectator information, as well as a diagram of the facility, click here.
Spectator parking is located in the Stadium West lot, with entrance to the lot located at the intersection of Park Avenue and Stadium West Drive. ADA accessibility is still available on either side of the facility. Spectators wishing to access the University Drive seating area should park in the Stadium West lot closest to the Bryce Jordan Center and walk down the sidewalk to the main entrance on the University Drive side of the facility. To prepay for parking at a discounted rate, click here. Event day parking will be $10 at the main entrance to the lot.
Thursday night’s top-10 season opener will serve as the Nittany Lions’ Youth Sports Night, with fans of all ages invited to Jeffrey Field to celebrate the proliferation of programs and the success of youth athletes in Central Pennsylvania and across the Commonwealth. Young fans are invited to stick around after the match to participate in “Kids Run the Pitch,” with children welcome to sprint around the Jeffrey Field playing surface at the conclusion of Thursday’s action.
Follow the Action
For fans of the Nittany Lions unable to attend Thursday night’s contest in person in Central Pennsylvania, the Nittany Lions’ top-10 matchup against Texas Tech will be televised to a national audience. Penn State participates in its first of four nationally televised broadcasts on the Big Ten Network Thursday evening, with Kylen Mills and Jackie Manny on the call. The match is also available for streaming to authenticated television subscribers via the FOX Sports App for viewership on laptops and mobile devices, or at the link here. Live stats provided by the Pennsylvania State University and StatBroadcast are available here.
KICKIN’ IT
The Nittany Lions return to action following a resurgent campaign in 2023 that featured the program’s deepest NCAA Tournament run since 2018, culminating in a 16-3-4 overall record and a National Quarterfinal finish. Penn State finished 6-1-3 in Big Ten Conference competition last year, ranking fourth in the B1G standings en route to a semifinal appearance in the 2023 Big Ten Tournament. PSU debuted at the No. 4 spot in the inaugural United Soccer Coaches poll, published on August 6. The Nittany Lions stand as the highest-ranked team in the newly expanded Big Ten Conference, leading an armada of seven programs nationally ranked in the inaugural United Soccer Coaches release. In the preseason release from TopDrawerSoccer, Penn State debuted at No. 7 nationally.
The Nittany Lions square off against 10 opponents that are either ranked or receiving votes in the preseason United Soccer Coaches Poll, highlighted by the 2024 season opener against the eighth-ranked Red Raiders on Thursday night. Penn State faces off against one of the most challenging non-conference slates in program history, with five of the next seven tests on the schedule against opponents ranked or receiving votes. Penn State was selected as the preseason No. 2 team in the Big Ten Conference in a poll of the league’s coaches, released Tuesday afternoon. Junior midfielder Olivia Borgen, redshirt senior forward Kaitlyn MacBean and senior defender Mieke Schiemann also picked up individual distinction as Big Ten Players to Watch in the conference office’s release. Individually, freshman midfielder Katie Scott also picked up recognition as a member of the TopDrawerSoccer.com Preseason Freshman Best XI team, recognizing the top freshman ahead of the 2024 season.
THE B1G LEAGUES
Penn State was selected as the preseason No. 2 team in the Big Ten Conference in a poll of the league’s coaches released Tuesday, August 13. UCLA stands as the preseason favorite to take home the conference’s regular season crown, with second-place PSU having accomplished that feat 20 times previously. The league’s 2023 regular season co-champions in Michigan State and Nebraska sit third and fourth, respectively, while newcomer USC, as well as Wisconsin, Rutgers and Iowa round out the top half of the conference’s preseason poll. Ohio State, Indiana, Michigan, Northwestern, Washington, Minnesota, Illinois, Purdue, Maryland and Oregon close out the 18-team poll. Junior midfielder Olivia Borgen, redshirt senior forward Kaitlyn MacBean and senior defender Mieke Schiemann also picked up individual distinction as Big Ten Players to Watch in the conference office’s release with Schiemann and MacBean serving as returning All-Big Ten performers from the 2022 and 2023 seasons, respectively.
SCHEDULE? TUFF.
Penn State boasts one of the strongest schedules across all of college soccer in the 2024 campaign, with the Nittany Lions slated to square off against 10 opponents who are either ranked or receiving votes in the preseason United Soccer Coaches Poll, highlighted by five matchups in the top-15 against Nebraska (#6), Texas Tech (#8), UCLA (#11), Saint Louis (#12) and Michigan State (#13). The Nittany Lions’ 2024 schedule features 19 total opponents, with 13 teams reaching the 2023 NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Tournament a year ago. Four of Penn State’s challengers in the 2024 campaign reached the Sweet 16, with one foe in Nebraska advancing to the National Quarterfinals last season. The Blue & White will also face off against a pair of teams they hosted at Jeffrey Field during the 2023 NCAA Tournament, with a rematch of the 2023 NCAA Sweet 16 coming on the road at Saint Louis, as well as a road test scheduled at reigning Big East champion Georgetown.
Next Up: #8 Texas Tech
TACKLING TEXAS TECH
Under the guidance of 18th-year head coach Tom Stone, Texas Tech returns to action following one of the most significant and historic seasons in program history. The Red Raiders rolled to the program’s first Big 12 Conference Regular Season title, as well as a trip to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16, matching the deepest postseason run in school history. Texas Tech finished the season 16-2-5 overall and 8-0-2 in Big 12 matchups. In a preseason poll of the 16 Big 12 coaches, Texas Tech landed as the No. 2 favorite to repeat as league champions behind defending Women’s College Cup participant BYU. The Red Raiders boast four Preseason All-Big 12 choices, matching the most selections in the conference. Tech returns a litany of talented attacking options from 2023, highlighted by leading scorer and First Team All-Big 12 selection Ashleigh Williams who poured in 34 points and 14 goals last year. Redshirt junior defender and Third Team All-American Macy Blackburn also returns following a career-best 11-assist campaign.
STORY OF THE SERIES
Penn State and Texas Tech get set for the first all-time meeting of the two programs in women’s soccer with Thursday night’s matchup in Central Pennsylvania. Against current Big 12 Conference member institutions all-time, Penn State boasts a 19-12-3 overall record with the vast majority of those contests coming against the border-rival West Virginia Mountaineers. PSU leads the Mountaineers by a 13-7-3 margin in an ultra-competitive all-time series that dates to 2003. PSU’s meeting with Texas Tech on Thursday marks the 35th all-time meeting for the Nittany Lions against a Big 12 challenger, as well as the seventh different opponent played from the re-vamped 16-team league.
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.