MATCH DAY: No. 23 Penn State WSOC vs. Indiana

OPENING KICKOFF

• Penn State women’s soccer will go for the program’s 550th victory when the Nittany Lions welcome the Indiana Hoosiers to Jeffrey Field on Friday in the final match of the regular season. The contest is slated for a 7 p.m. (ET) start with a live stream on B1G+. 

• The Blue & White secured a four-point week in the Mitten State last week as the squad took down No. 5 Michigan State, 2-1, last Thursday in East Lansing for the program’s first win over a top five opponent on the road since 2021 before battling No. 24 Michigan to a 2-2 draw a few days later. 

• Following the strong week against two ranked opponents, the Nittany Lions found themselves back inside the top 25 of the IWSOC/United Soccer Coaches poll at No. 23 in addition to ranking No. 18 according to TopDrawerSoccer and No. 21 in the NCAA RPI. 

• Penn State currently sits in a tie for fifth in the Big Ten with 21 points and clinched a spot in the conference’s postseason tournament with the upset over Michigan State. Currently, the Nittany Lions would be the six-seed in the Big Ten Tournament but can reach as high as No. 4 depending on Friday’s results. 

• The Blue & White defense has allowed just eight goals in 11 conference contests, tied for the third fewest allowed in the Big Ten. For the season, PSU has seven shutouts and has allowed just 13 goals, another mark tied for third in the conference.  

• The Nittany Lions rank sixth in the conference with 1.75 goals per match and sixth in the Big Ten with a 0.94-goal margin of victory through 16 outings. The offense has earned the second-most corner kicks (71) in league play. 

• Junior forward Aubrey Kulpa was spectacular last week with five points on two goals and one assist. She recorded her third three-point match of the season in the triumph over MSU with a helper in the first half and a goal in the second. She followed that up with a goal against Michigan that was assisted by Ellie Kocher, the first collegiate assist for the freshman. Her goal against the Wolverines was her eighth on the season, tying her career high. 

• Kulpa leads Penn State with 20 points, eight goals, 47 shots and 22 shots on goal while tying with senior forward Paige Kalal for the team lead with four assists. 

• Kalal, a senior forward, scored her career-high sixth goal of the season against the Spartans. She ranks second on Penn State’s team in points (16), also the most in her career, goals, shots (30) and shots on goal (13). 

HOOSIER HEADLINES

• Indiana enters Friday’s regular season finale with a 4-11-2 record and 1-9-1 record in conference play, sitting at the bottom of the Big Ten standings with four total points on the season.  

• The Hoosiers have lost nine of their last ten and have not won since September 10 against Nebraska, their lone Big Ten victory. They also look to snap a three-match scoreless streak that dates back to October 16.  

• Big Ten teams have scored a league-high 30 goals against Indiana this season, winning by a 2.19 goal margin of victory.  

• Maggie Ledwith leads the Hoosier offense with five goals on 33 shots, also contributing two assists. Kennedy Neighbors paces the team with three assists. 

• Bella Haggerty trails Ledwith with seven points, with three goals and one assist. Four other Hoosiers have contributed at least one goal and one assist this season. 

• Dani Jacobsen has started all 17 games in goal, recording 32 saves. She has a 2.30 goals against average and 0.471 save percentage. 

STORY OF THE SERIES

• Indiana and Penn State have matched up 35 times dating back to 1994, with the Nittany Lions owning a commanding 30-2-3 record in the all-time series.  

• The Hoosiers pulled off the upset last season, winning 2-1 in Bloomington, their first victory over the Blue & White since 1996. PSU’s most recent victory came during the 2023 Big Ten Tournament, a 3-0 win at home. 

• Penn State has never lost to Indiana in Happy Valley, boasting a 18-0-0 record at Jeffrey Field. 

• Penn State has bested Indiana in the Big Ten tournament four times, most recently in 2023. The two programs also met in the 1998 NCAA Tournament, where the Nittany Lions won 2-1 in the second round.