Sept. 9, 2010
Friday vs. UW: Live Stats • Sunday at UP: Live Stats & Watch (Free)
Game Notes • Twitter/Facebook
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women's soccer team looks to break a three game skid during a two-game swing at the Nike Portland Invitational starting Friday. The Lions take on Washington at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday before a 4:30 p.m. ET clash with No. 4 Portland on Sunday at Merlo Field.
Penn State will try to win its second straight game in the series with Washington after a 3-2 win in Happy Valley in 2005. Washington enters with a 3-1-1 overall record after beating Syracuse (4-0) and tying Wisconsin (1-1) last weekend in its tournament.
Portland is coming off another perfect weekend at the Nike Husky Invitational, defeating Syracuse (3-1) and Wisconsin (2-0). The Pilots are 6-0-0 this season and have moved up to fourth in the NSCAA rankings. The meeting between UP and PSU will be the first at Merlo Field.
The complete game notes can be found HERE.
GAME NOTES
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES: Washington is coming off a successful 1-0-1 Husky Nike Invitational after a dominating 4-0 win over Syracuse and a 1-1 draw with Wisconsin. UW is 3-1-1 on the season and is paced by Kate Deines who has tallied a team-high three goals. Kellye Joswick is the biggest Husky offensive threat, notching two goals and two assists on the season. Returning to the team is McKenna Waitley who led the team in points (17), goals (6) and assists (5) in 2009. Washington sports two `keepers in net-Kari Davison and Jorde LaFontaine-Kussman. Davidson appeared in all of Washington's matches last year and has yet to allow a goal in two complete games this season, while LaFontaine-Kussman has a 1.24 GAA in three games with 10 saves.
SERIES HISTORY:  Penn State and Washington will meet for the fourth time in series history on Friday, the first matchup at a neutral site. Penn State took the last meeting, a 3-2 win at Jeffrey Field in 2005 after a hard-fought 2-1 loss in Seattle the year before. The two teams met for the first time in 1995 in a 5-0 UW win.
SCOUTING THE PILOTS: No. 4 Portland captured the Husky Nike Invitational title with two wins over Syracuse (3-1) and Wisconsin (2-0) last weekend. The Pilots are off to a 6-0-0 start with steady offense (1.83 goals/game) and superb defense (0.33 GAA). Michaela Capelle is off to a fast start with four goals, while Sophie Schmidt, Taylor Brooke and Danielle Foxhoven each have seven, six, and five points apeice to lead the well-balanced attack. In net, Erin Dees has been solid allowing just two goals in 540 minutes, sporting a .818 save percentage with four shutouts.
SERIES HISTORY:  Portland and Penn State have played some pretty important games in the short six-game series. Three times the two teams have met in the NCAA Tournament, twice in the College Cup with Portland advancing each time. The most memorable game was a 0-0 double-overtime draw in the national semifinals where UP advanced on PKs, 4-3. Penn State ended up ranked No. 2 that season after Portland captured the title. More recently, Portland won a 4-1 matchup against injury-depleted Penn State at Jeffrey Field in 2008. This is Penn State's first game at Portland's famed Merlo Field.
CONNECTICUT RECAP: PSU wrapped up its two-game Connecticut road swing in disappointing fashion when UConn's Jessica Shufelt scored the game-winner in overtime, capping PSU's third straight loss, 3-2, on Sunday, Sept. 5. The Nittany Lions received an early goal by Christine Nairn just 63 seconds into the contest, the second fastest Penn State goal in program history after Tiffany Weimer's 56-second goal vs. USC in 2006. UConn scored the next two before Hayley Brock notched her second of the year to send it to overtime. Krissy Tribbett made a career-high five saves in the contest. Two nights earlier, braving the elements of Hurricane Earl, the Nittany Lions dominated possession, offensive opportunities and the entire run of play, but couldn't slip a goal by Yale. The Bulldogs capitalized on a through ball and came away 1-0 victors on a dreary Friday night.
INVITATIONAL REDUX: The Nittany Lions hosted the fifth annual Penn State Invitational last weekend, going 0-1-1. Friday's game saw an exciting tilt between two top 15 teams in Penn State and Virginia as the Nittany Lions took a lead 54 minutes into the game on a Hayley Brock marker off a helper from Tani Costa. Virginia equalized in the 88th minute to send it to overtime where the game ended in a 1-1 draw. On Sunday, PSU took the lead for the third straight time in 2010 when Danielle Toney scored her second of the season, only to see it be equaled by William & Mary minutes later. A 74th minute free kick goal from 40 yards out saw the Tribe leave Jeffrey Field with the win.
| Penn State Women's Soccer Thanks its Fans! |
PACKING THE JEFF: Penn State and Virginia entertained 3,921 at Jeffrey Field, a new women's soccer single-game attendance record at the facility. A strong showing from the student section of Nittany Nation made their voices felt throughout the matches, lifting the Nittany Lions. The previous record was 3,208 set in Aug. 2006 in a match against UCLA, a 2-1 Penn State win. Last year, Penn State ranked ninth in the nation in average attendance (1,198) and tops in the Big Ten.
GOAL FOR 13,000: Penn State has put together an ambitious promotion plan into place to see 13,000 fans see a women's soccer game at Jeffrey Field. Last season, the Lions set a new single-season attendance record with 1,138 people per game. A total of 14,378 joined the NIttany Lions, second most in the team's history in raw numbers. The 14,711 in 2005 still stands as the most. 13,000 in nine games (1,444 per game) would break last year's single-season record.
EXORCISING THE MOUNTAINEERS:  West Virginia has had Penn State's number since 2007. No more. Penn State broke its four-game skid against the Mountaineers with a thrilling 2-1 overtime win over the 24th ranked WVU squad. A 22nd-minute goal by Danielle Toney was equalized by Bri Rodriguez in the 34th minute. The two teams went into overtime, mostly due to WVU goalkeeper Kerri Butler's outstanding play (nine saves). Tani Costa took a Hayley Brock delivery, cut back and slotted a left-footed shot home for the victory with 49 seconds left in the first OT period. It was Penn State's first overtime win since Oct. 2008, first win over WVU since Nov. 2005 and the first win in Morgantown since Oct. 2003. The goal was Costa's first in college play in her collegiate debut.
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--NITTANY LIONS--