No. 15 Penn State Hits the Road for Nationally Ranked Test at No. 18 Iowa
Nittany Lions seek return to win column following narrow defeat against No. 1 Michigan State
#15 Penn State at #18 Iowa
8-2-1 | 2-1-0 B1G
7-0-3 | 2-0-1 B1G
IOWA CITY, Iowa – No. 15 Penn State women's soccer seeks a return to the win column in its first of two road matches this week, as the Blue & White travel west to face the No. 18 Iowa Hawkeyes on Thursday, September 26. Kickoff between PSU and Iowa is slated for 8 p.m. (ET) at the Iowa Soccer Complex, with streaming available to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+ and the B1G+ app.
Follow the Action
For fans of the Nittany Lions unable to attend Thursday’s nationally ranked Big Ten Conference road battle against the Iowa Hawkeyes, fans can tune in to the live stream of the match on B1G+ and the B1G+ app. Click the link here to be redirected to the live stream of the broadcast and sign in with credentials for access. Live stats provided by the University of Iowa and StatBroadcast are available here.
KICKIN’ IT
Penn State battled for 90 minutes and largely outplayed their opponents, but a tally against the run of play in the third minute afforded newly-No. 1 Michigan State a tightly contested 1-0 victory over the Nittany Lions Sunday on Jeffrey Field. PSU welcomed a season-best 2,045 fans into the stands, highlighted by the program’s annual 11v100 match at halftime featuring the Centre Soccer Association. The Blue & White were far more effective in generating quality looks on goal than their opponents, racking up a stark 18-12 shot differential against their nationally ranked challenger while simultaneously dismantling the Spartans by an 11-4 tally on goal. Penn State’s front-line student-athletes won nine corner kicks on the day, with the Michigan State attack also generating nine such chances. The top 10 matchup lived up to the billing in terms of physicality, with MSU committing 12 fouls against eight for the Nittany Lions.
The Nittany Lions are off to an overall strong start in the program's 31st varsity season, with the Blue & White needing just two more wins to extend the team's streak of double-digit win seasons to 31 straight. PSU has been one of the most consistent women's soccer programs in the nation since the program's inception in 1994, reaching 29 consecutive NCAA Tournaments highlighted by seven consecutive Sweet 16 runs. Individually, the Nittany Lions are led by redshirt senior forward Kaitlyn MacBean's 21 points on a team-leading 10 goals with one assist. Senior midfielder Jordan Fusco leads the squad with six helpers in 2024, with all six assists coming on feeds to MacBean.
BLUE & WHITE… RED, WHITE & BLUE
Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Mackenzie Gress earned a spot on the United States U-20 Women’s Youth National Team roster for the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia. The Nittany Lion keeper began her journey with the team on Sunday, August 18, and will return to the Nittany Lion squad soon. Gress and Team USA finished as bronze medalists at the tournament, booking a 1-0 win over the Netherlands to secure that honor. The United States has been one of the most dominant national team programs at the tournament all-time, with the USA tied alongside Germany and North Korea for the most titles all-time. Team USA has finished on the podium on five separate occasions, highlighted by their third-place finish with Gress on the roster less than a week ago.
Next Up: #18 Iowa
INTRODUCING IOWA
Veteran head coach Dave DiIanni leads the defending Big Ten Tournament Champion Hawkeyes into the fray Thursday evening boasting an unbeaten start to the 2024 campaign, with Iowa managing a 7-0-3 start paired with a 2-0-1 opening to Big Ten Conference play this season. Iowa opened league action two weeks ago with an impressive 2-0 victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers, supplementing that result with a 1-1 draw on the road at then-No. 17 Ohio State before bouncing back into the win column with a 2-1 victory at Illinois last Sunday. On an individual basis, the Hawkeyes are led by Berit Parten's 12 total points on six goals through this point in the campaign, with Kenzie Roling leading the way in the passing game with a quartet of assists this year. Two-time B1G Goalkeeper of the Week Macy Enneking handles the majority of the responsibilities between the pipes, mustering 26 saves in addition to a 7-0-3 individual record.
STORY OF THE SERIES
Penn State and Iowa gear up for the 31st all-time meeting in a series which dates to PSU's fourth season as a varsity program in 1997. The Blue & White have maintained a significant 26-4-1 lead over the Hawkeyes since the inaugural contest in Iowa City on September 26, 1997, an eventual 2-0 Nittany Lion victory. The Nittany Lions last defeated Iowa in the 2021 campaign, with PSU going 0-2-1 against the host Hawkeyes in the last three meetings. Penn State's last victory came on March 25, 2021, on the road, a 1-0 victory during the COVID-maligned spring 2021 season. Last year's meeting during the semifinals of the 2023 Big Ten Tournament saw eighth-seeded Iowa record a 1-0 win in double overtime en route to the program's B1G Championship. The Nittany Lions placed multiple scoring chances on frame in the waning moments of the match, but the Hawkeyes managed to hold on for the win.
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.