No. 9 Nittany Lions Conclude Non-Conference Slate at Liberty
Penn State wraps non-B1G slate with second consecutive road match in Virginia
#9 Penn State at Liberty
3-2-1 | 0-0-0 B1G
4-1-2 | 0-0-0 C-USA
LYNCHBURG, Va. – No. 9 Penn State women's soccer concludes its 2025 non-conference schedule on the road this Sunday, September 7, as the Nittany Lions continue their weekend sojourn through the Commonwealth of Virginia with a 1 p.m. (ET) fixture scheduled against the Liberty Flames from Osborne Stadium. The match will stream live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
Follow the Action
For fans of the Nittany Lions unable to attend Sunday afternoon’s matchup in Lynchburg, the Nittany Lions’ 2025 non-conference finale will stream live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via ESPN+ and the ESPN app. Kyle West and John Caudill will call the action from the Osborne Stadium 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 Liberty University and StatBroadcast are available here.
KICKIN’ IT
The Nittany Lions are fresh off a hard-fought 1-0 defeat on the road against No. 8 Virginia on September 4, with the Cavaliers finding the eventual match-winning goal in the second minute of action. Following Thursday’s top 10 clash in Virginia, the Nittany Lions fell to 3-2-1 overall on the young season, with their only two losses coming by a single score each against road opponents ranked inside the top eight of the United Soccer Coaches Poll. Penn State's only other blemish on the year came in 3-2 fashion on the road at then-No. 4 Duke on August 14. On an individual basis, PSU called on senior forward Amelia White to generate the lion’s share of the scoring chances against the Cavaliers, with the Fort Wayne, Indiana, native mustering the only Nittany Lion shot on target in the first 15 minutes of the fixture. White finished with a pair of shots to her credit, the only Penn Stater with multiple tries on the night. Elsewhere in the box score, sophomore forward Aubrey Kulpa and freshman midfielder Riley Cross were responsible for the other two Nittany Lion shots on the evening.
The Blue & White prepare for their third and final road match of the non-conference calendar this Sunday, as well as the second road fixture in a row. Penn State remains in the hunt for its first road victory of 2025, with the Nittany Lions dropping their first two true-road opportunities against top 10 challengers in then-No. 4 Duke on August 14, and No. 8 Virginia on September 4. Penn State has guaranteed a record of .500 or better in non-conference action for the 15th season in a row, a stretch dating back to the 2011 season. PSU boasts a trio of wins on the season to date, highlighted by the program's first nationally ranked result of the year with a 4-1 thrashing of then-No. 23 Saint Louis on August 21.
ROCKIN’ WITH RILEY G
Redshirt senior midfielder Riley Gleason has been a revelation for the Nittany Lions in her fifth and final season with the Blue & White, leading the PSU roster with a trio of assists on the 2025 campaign. Gleason's trio of assists rank third in the Big Ten Conference and 47th in college soccer this year. Additionally, her 0.50 assists per match stand fourth in the league and 84th in Division I. Gleason, a native of Mission Viejo, California, is in her fifth season of competition in Happy Valley, redshirting during the 2022 fall campaign. The veteran holding midfielder has played in 56 total matches with 23 starts to her credit, amassing 14 total points split between a pair of goals and 10 combined assists. Gleason found the back of the net twice in her career, with one apiece coming in the 2021 and 2023 seasons. In the passing game, Gleason needs one assist to tie and two to surpass her single-season career-best mark from 2023, in which she logged four helpers in a career-high six-point scoring season.
Next Up: Liberty
FIGHTING THE FLAMES
Led by 26-year head coaching veteran Lang Wedemeyer in his ninth season at the helm in Lynchburg, the Liberty Flames head into Sunday's action at Osborne Stadium boasting a 4-1-2 start to the year. The Flames were surprisingly excluded from the 2024 NCAA Tournament a year ago after publishing a dominant 15-2-4 overall record in addition to a C-USA championship appearance. The Flames opened the year on a three-match unbeaten streak against East Carolina, James Madison and Charlotte before dropping a 2-0 fixture to then-No. 17 Virginia at home in Lynchburg. Liberty has since rebounded with three-straight unbeaten results, including a tie against then-No. 24 Virginia Tech and back-to-back wins against Old Dominion and Queens. Individually, Halle Engle and Ivy Garner are tied for the team lead in scoring with seven points apiece, as Garner leads the squad in goals with three while Engle boasts a team-high trio of assists and two goals of her own. Between the pipes, three student-athletes have seen time for the Flames, with Ainsley Leja booking the majority of minutes played with 477 and leads the team in saves with 14.
STORY OF THE SERIES
Penn State and Liberty prepare for the second all-time meeting of the two programs this Sunday, with the Blue & White coming away with the only prior fixture in the inaugural meeting on September 8, 2022. PSU and Liberty battled in University Park in the first-ever meeting, with the Nittany Lions making the trek to play a match in Lynchburg, Virginia, for the first time in school history. The Nittany Lions will face off against a current Conference USA member institution for the fifth time in school history this week in Lynchburg. Penn State has only battled two of the league's 12 member schools previously, with the one matchup against Liberty joined by three contests against Delaware. PSU leads the all-time series against Conference USA, 3-0-1. The first meeting between the two sides on Thursday, September 8, 2022, saw the Blue & White come away with a hard-fought 2-1 result. Penn State found the back of the net with their earliest goal of the season in the third minute, but the Flames were able to answer back later on. PSU called on Cori Dyke's first career goal in the 82nd minute to ice the victory at Jeffrey Field.
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.
The 2025 Penn State women's soccer season is presented by Highmark.