No. 16 Nittany Lions Set for Penultimate Regular Season Match at No. 9 USC
Penn State to test fourth top 10 opponent from Dignity Health Sports Park, home to MLS side LA Galaxy
#16 Penn State at #9 USC
11-3-3 | 5-2-2 B1G
12-1-2 | 8-0-1 B1G
CARSON, Calif. – No. 16 Penn State women's soccer gets set for its penultimate match of the 2024 regular season campaign and gears up for the second half of its weekend road trip in Southern California at the Nittany Lions challenge the No. 9 USC Trojans on Sunday, October 20. Kickoff from Dignity Health Sports Park, the home of Major League Soccer's LA Galaxy, is slated for 3 p.m. (ET) with the match set to air 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 Sunday’s Big Ten Conference transcontinental road challenge against the USC Trojans in Carson, the match will stream live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+ and the B1G+ app. Kasey Kazliner and Andrew Geisler will call the action live from the Dignity Health Sports Park press box. 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 Southern California and StatBroadcast are available here.
KICKIN’ IT
Powered by a career-best six-save clean sheet from redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Mackenzie Gress and a miraculous goal-line clearance in the final 15 seconds from freshman defender Bella Ayscue, No. 16 Penn State shut out the No. 10 UCLA Bruins in a scoreless draw Thursday night. Penn State’s defending stole the show in the weekend opener, with the Nittany Lion back line working together to help secure the ninth PSU shutout of the year. Senior defender Mieke Schiemann, graduate defender Ginger Fontenot and redshirt sophomore defender Kayleigh Herr combined for seven blocked shots in the second half. Schiemann wiped away at least four Bruin shots in the final frame, while Ayscue’s goal-line clearance in the final minute proved to be the icing on the PSU clean sheet.
The NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Selection Committee revealed its midseason top 16 seeds on Thursday evening, with the Nittany Lions picking up the No. 8 national seed, the second-highest mark in the Big Ten Conference. PSU stands as one of two midseason No. 2 seeds out of the B1G, joining No. 6 overall Iowa. The Big Ten boasts the most selections in the midseason top 16 with six choices from the committee. Having clinched a spot in the Big Ten Tournament field following Thursday night's results across the conference, Penn State extends its overall postseason streak to 30 consecutive seasons when combining B1G and NCAA Tournament bids. First Round matches and Quarterfinal contests will be contested on the campus of the University of Minnesota, with the Semifinals and Final of the conference tournament set for CITYPARK in St. Louis, Missouri, on November 7 and 10.
START FAST
Penn State has been electric out of the opening kickoff in the 2024 campaign, with the Nittany Lions booking two of the five fastest first goals in PSU program history this season. Amelia White notched a tally in 1:01 of elapsed time in PSU's match at Iowa, the fifth-fastest opening score at Penn State, while Kaelyn Wolfe found the back of the net in 55 seconds against Minnesota, the second-fastest Nittany Lion goal all-time. The Blue & White have scored first in 14 of the team's 17 matches this year, going 11-2-1 when doing so in 2024. Penn State has only allowed one opponent to score first this year, a tally by then-No. 5 Michigan State on September 22 at Jeffrey Field.
Next Up: #9 USC
TESTING THE TROJANS
Led by third-year head coach Jane Alukonis, the USC Trojans enter into Sunday afternoon's test sitting alone atop the Big Ten Conference standings with a 12-1-2 overall record paired with an 8-0-1 mark in the league. USC boasts the No. 9 ranking in the most recent United Soccer Coaches poll, the highest-ranked team in the B1G. The Trojans currently maintain a five-match winning streak in addition to a nine-match unbeaten streak correlating with the program's unbeaten start to Big Ten Conference play. USC's most recent loss came against then-No. 1 Stanford in a narrow 2-1 defeat on the road in Silicon Valley. On an individual basis, Texas A&M transfer Maile Hayes has been a force to be reckoned with on the offensive end, with Hayes leading the team in points and goals with 16 and seven, respectively. Helena Sampaio leads USC in the passing game with five assists, while goalkeeper Laurence Gladu owns a .804 save percentage and eight shutouts on the year.
STORY OF THE SERIES
Penn State and USC get set for the fifth all-time meeting of the two programs in a series dating to the 2002 campaign. The Blue & White lead the set by a narrow 2-1-1 margin, with the last Nittany Lion victory coming in the 2005 campaign. Sunday's challenge in Southern California will be the fourth all-time regular season contest and first regular season meeting since a 3-1 PSU win in 2005. Sunday afternoon's battle will be Penn State's second against UCLA, USC, Washington or Oregon this year. PSU owns a 6-7-2 combined record against UCLA, USC and Washington, with the Nittany Lions yet to play Oregon in the program's 31-year varsity history. In the most recent meeting of the two programs during the 2021 NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament, Penn State and UCLA played to the only draw in the all-time series with a 2-2 tie through double overtime, with PSU advancing via an upset in a penalty shootout on the road.
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.