MATCH DAY: Penn State WSOC vs. Rutgers

OPENING KICKOFF

• Penn State women’s soccer returns home following a Pacific Northwest road trip to take on Rutgers on Saturday, October 17. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. (ET) at Jeffrey Field, with streaming available on B1G+. 

• The Nittany Lions continued their climb up this week’s RPI, moving up two spots to No. 22, while the Scarlet Knights sit at No. 76. 

• The Blue & White are coming off their first loss since September 10, going 4-0-2 in that six-match span before falling 1-0 to Washington last Sunday.  

• Penn State enters the match with 14 points, placing them sixth in the conference standings. Rutgers has ten points, tied with Minnesota and Northwestern for ninth in the conference. 

• The Nittany Lions are averaging 1.769 goals per match with a 1.00 goal margin of victory on the season, both ranking fifth in the Big Ten.  

• The Nittany Lion defense has allowed just five goals in eight conference contests, the third fewest in the league in Big Ten action. The offense has taken the fifth-most shots (105) and second-most corner kicks (59) in league play.  

• Penn State split its Pacific Northwest road-trip, shutting out Oregon, 1-0, before falling in a 1-0 decision to No. 13 Washington.  

• Redshirt senior goalkeeper Mackenzie Gress has totaled 24 saves and four shutouts in eight Big Ten matches. Her shutout of Oregon tied her career-high for shutouts in a season and set a personal record for conference shutouts in one season with four. 

• The Nittany Lions’ lone goal in the win over the Ducks was an own goal after freshman midfielder Paige Pasinski took a shot off the post that bounced off the keeper and into the net. 

• Against Washington, Penn State’s offense had nine corner kick attempts for the second straight match and sixth time recording nine or more this season. It was the 11th time this season the squad finished with the corner kick advantage in a game. 

• Gress has established herself as one of the top keepers in the Big Ten, ranking top five in shutouts (four), save percentage (.828) and goals against average (0.63) in league play. 

• Nine Nittany Lions have registered at least three points, all of whom have recorded at least one goal and one assist. Six additional players have at least one goal contribution. Through 13 matches, Penn State has recorded 67 points, good for 5.15 per game, both of which rank fifth in the Big Ten.

READING RUTGERS

• Rutgers sits in the middle of the Big Ten with 10 points and a 3-4-1 conference record and a 4-5-4 overall record.  

• After going 1-3-0 to begin conference play, the Scarlet Knights have gone 2-1-1, including a win over then-No. 14 Wisconsin on September 27. They are coming off a scoreless draw against Nebraska last Sunday.  

• Rutgers has a neutral goal differential in eight Big Ten matches, with eight goals scored and eight goals allowed. The team is tied for the eighth most shots in conference contests with 101 attempted. 

• The Scarlet Knight’s offense has been led by freshman Lila Calvert, who has four goals and three assists in 13 matches, leading the squad in both categories. She has earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors twice this season. 

• Goalkeeper Olivia Balmer has been one of the best keepers in the Big Ten, ranking third with 63 saves and leading the conference with 4.85 saves per match.  

• Forward Ashley Naran is second on the team with three goals on 11 shots on goal, while midfielder Gabriela Gil and forward Marian Dunne each have two assists to their names. 

STORY OF THE SERIES

• Penn State and Rutgers have matched up 27 total times dating back to 1994, with the Blue & White holding a 13-9-5 advantage.  

• The Nittany Lions have won three of the last four contests, most recently a 2-1 victory last season in Piscataway. The last matchup held at Jefferey Field was in October of 2024, a match that ended in a 1-1 draw. 

• Rutgers has not defeated Penn State at Jefferey Field since 2019 with the last win for the Scarlet Knights coming during the 2021 season. 

• Penn State and Rutgers met three times during the 2015 national championship season. The Scarlet Knights were the last team to beat the Nittany Lions that season on October 18 on their home field. The Blue & White would get revenge in the Big Ten Tournament Championship with a 2-0 victory before meeting again in the College Cup, a match PSU took by the same 2-0 margin en route to the title match.