NEW YORK – The Penn State women’s soccer program saw 13 Nittany Lion alumnae clinch placements in the 2024 National Women’s Soccer League Playoffs, with the baker’s dozen PSU athletes representing six NWSL franchises in quarterfinal action beginning Friday and running through Sunday, November 8 through 10.
Two Nittany Lions serve as key contributors to the 2024 NWSL Shield-winning Orlando Pride, with alumnae Kerry Abello and Cori Dyke guiding that club to its first-ever NWSL Shield and No. 1 overall playoff seed. Orlando published an astonishing 18-2-6 overall record in their 26 league matches this season, racking up a league high-tying +26 goal differential in addition to their 60 points this year. Abello, a native of Batavia, Illinois, appeared in all 26 matches for the Pride, notching one goal and two assists as a key contributor to the back line. Dyke, a native of Littleton, Colorado, has been instrumental to Orlando’s historic season in her rookie campaign, booking 21 appearances in the holding midfield, notching her first professional assist in a 3-1 win over Houston back in September.
Sixth-seeded Portland Thorns FC boasts the highest number of Nittany Lion alumnae on their 2024 playoff roster, with a pair of rookies in Katherine Asman and Payton Linnehan joining veteran stars in Sam Coffey and Marissa Sheva. Portland earned a playoff selection with 34 points after going 10-12-4 this season, with the quartet of Penn Staters helping the franchise secure their eighth consecutive NWSL postseason appearance. For the Thorns, Coffey has once again dominated on both ends of the pitch, appearing in 24 matches with 23 starts while racking up a pair of goals and three assists this year. Linnehan has made 18 appearances with six starts and has found the back of the net twice this season, while Sheva has appeared in six fixtures with an assist to her credit.
One of the league’s deepest teams boasts a trio of Nittany Lions on their playoff roster, with the Kansas City Current bringing Elizabeth Ball, Mallory Weber and Ellie Wheeler into the fold for their 2024 postseason run. KC earned the fourth seed in the NWSL Playoffs after a dominant unbeaten stretch early in the year, ultimately culminating in a 16-3-7 overall record with 55 points in the bank. A pair of Nittany Lion legends lead eighth-seeded Chicago Red Stars into the playoffs, with starting goalkeeper and USWNT hero Alyssa Naeher joining dominant attacking threat Ally Schlegel in the club’s bid for the quarterfinals.
Expansion franchise Bay FC welcomed PSU alumna Penelope Hocking via trade midseason from Chicago, with the Penn Stater helping guide the club to the postseason in its inaugural campaign with a seventh-seeded finish. Finally, 2023 Penn State alumna and Washington Spirit rookie Kate Wiesner helped guide the franchise to its first NWSL Playoffs since bringing home the 2021 league crown, powering the Spirit to their highest league finish since 2016. Wiesner and Washington enter the 2024 NWSL Playoffs as the No. 2 overall seed thanks to an 18-6-2 finish in the regular season standings.
The 2024 NWSL Playoffs kick off later Friday evening, as Abello and Dyke join top-seeded Orlando Pride as they host Naeher and Schlegel’s eighth-seeded Chicago Red Stars in quarterfinal action from Inter&Co Stadium. Action is slated to begin at 8 p.m. (ET), with the first quarterfinal available for streaming via Prime Video. Quarterfinals continue Saturday, November 9, as a trio of Penn Staters guide fourth-seeded Kansas City into playoff action against fifth-seeded NC Courage, with play to begin at Noon (ET) from CPKC Stadium in Kansas City. The final two quarterfinals will take place on Sunday, November 10, as a part of a doubleheader broadcast to a nationally syndicated audience via ABC. Wiesner and second-seeded Washington host Hocking and seventh-seeded Bay FC in a 12:30 p.m. (ET) kick from Audi Field in the nation’s capital, followed by third-seeded NJ/NY Gotham FC hosting a quartet of Penn Staters with sixth-seeded Portland Thorns FC in a 3 p.m. (ET) start at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey.
NWSL Playoff semifinal matches will take place on November 15, at the home venue of the higher-seeded remaining team. Kick times and broadcast designations will be announced when available. The 2024 NWSL Championship will be decided on Saturday, November 23, with the contest set to begin at 8 p.m. (ET) live on CBS with streaming available via Paramount+. Kansas City serves as the host site for the 2024 NWSL Championship, with CPKC Stadium serving as the championship venue. CPKC Stadium made history earlier this year by becoming the first purpose-built venue for a women’s professional sport franchise anywhere in the world and was recently named as the host site for the 2025 NCAA Division I Women’s College Cup.
Back home in Happy Valley, No. 22 Penn State women’s soccer awaits its fate in the 2024 NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Tournament, as the Nittany Lions continue their bye week ahead of the Tournament Selection Show on Monday, November 11. The NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Tournament Selection Show will stream live to a worldwide audience for free and without restrictions on NCAA.com at 4 p.m. (ET). The NCAA Tournament will begin with 32 First Round matches on the campus sites of higher-seeded teams on the weekend of Friday through Sunday, November 15 through 17.
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