No. 8 Penn State Hosts Nebraska in Thursday Night BTN Showdown

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 8 Penn State women's soccer continues its three-match Big Ten Conference homestand to open league play this Thursday night, September 18, as the Nittany Lions play host to the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. (ET) from Jeffrey Field, with the match set to air before a national television audience on the Big Ten Network, with streaming through 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.

Penn State women’s soccer will celebrate the program’s annual Pride Night on Thursday against the Cornhuskers, with the Nittany Lions set to feature items and information provided by the Penn State University Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity. Fans are encouraged to attend Thursday night’s contest against Nebraska and learn more about local initiatives benefitting LGBTQ+ students, student-athletes, and members of our Central Pennsylvania Community.

KICKIN’ IT

The Nittany Lions opened their 32nd season of B1G competition with a bang on last Thursday night, turning in an impressive 4-0 win over the Maryland Terrapins highlighted by a five-point performance from sophomore forward Aubrey Kulpa. The Nittany Lions improved to 5-2-1 overall through their eighth match of the campaign, rising to 1-0-0 in B1G play. PSU improved to 24-5-3 overall in Big Ten regular season openers while rising to 29-2-1 in Big Ten home-opening fixtures. Kulpa published the highest-scoring individual performance of her collegiate career to date, scoring or assisting on all four Nittany Lion goals to amass five points split between a goal and trio of helpers. Her three assists were the most by a Nittany Lion in a single match since September 15, 2023, while her five points marked the most in a fixture since Rebecca Cooke logged a pair of goals and an assist in the opening round of last year's NCAA Tournament against Stony Brook.

The Blue & White are off to a torrential offensive start through the first nine opportunities of the 2025 season, leading the Big Ten Conference in scoring offense with 2.38 goals per match while simultaneously pacing the league in both total goals (19) and total points (60). Penn State's league-leading offense also boasts the most points per match in the conference and 23rd-most nationally with 7.50. Kulpa has established herself as the most dominant attacking player in the league through the early going this year, pacing the conference in total goals with seven and total points with 18. The Cromwell, Connecticut, native stands fifth in the nation in total scoring while ranking eighth nationally in goals scored. In the passing game, redshirt senior midfielder continues her torrid stretch of distribution, leading the B1G and ranking seventh nationally in total assists (six) and assists per match (0.75).

READING THE RPI

The inaugural NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) was released on Monday morning, September 15, with the Nittany Lions garnering the No. 6 position nationally with an adjusted RPI value of 0.695. The RPI is one of the most critical tools in evaluating NCAA soccer programs for selection to the 64-team national postseason field, with the system ranking teams based on wins, losses and strength of schedule. RPI is formulated by including a team's winning percentage, the winning percentage of the team's opponents, and the winning percentage of the team's opponent's opponents. Penn State's non-conference schedule was once again heralded by the NCAA's RPI calculation, with the Blue & White boasting the nation's No. 4 non-conference RPI rating with a 4-2-1 mark outside of B1G play. PSU's non-conference opponents in, Virginia (#1), Duke (#5), West Virginia (#11), Santa Clara (#44), Liberty (#50) Saint Louis (#54) and James Madison (#85) all rank inside the national top 100. The Nittany Lions are one of just four programs (Stanford, Virginia, BYU) to not play a match against a team outside the national top 150.