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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women's soccer team kicks off its 24th season as a varsity program with two matches this weekend at Jeffrey Field. The 2017 season gets underway on Friday, Aug. 18, at 7 p.m. against the eighth-ranked BYU Cougars. Penn State then closes out the opening weekend of the year on Sunday, Aug. 20, at 1 p.m. against the Hofstra Pride.
FOLLOW ALONG
Both matches will be streamed live on GoPSUsports.com for free.
ATTENDING JEFFREY FIELD
Admission and parking for women's soccer regular season events are free. Fans are reminded that there is a no bag policy in place on stadium grounds.
WEEKEND PROMOTIONS
The match against BYU features a pre-game student tailgate for Penn State students, which includes raffle giveaways and free food with a valid PSU student ID. The BYU match will also kick off the Cub Club program for the Penn State Athletics year. Arrive early for the BYU match, because the first 500 fans will receive a Penn State women's soccer flag.
The Hofstra match will be the first Social Sunday of the season and following the match fans can attend a free post-match autograph session.
LOOKING AT BYU
The BYU Cougars begin the 2017 season ranked No. 8 in the United Soccer Coaches (formerly the NSCAA) preseason poll.
Last season, the Cougars fell to South Carolina, 1-0, in the third round of the NCAA Tournament to finish with a final record of 18-3-1. The 2016 season also saw BYU capture its fifth-straight West Coast Conference (WCC) title and a ranking of No. 3 twice.
BYU will be looking to replace a majority of its offense from last season as the team returns 53 of its 177 total points from the 2016 season. Nadia Gomes, the 2015 WCC Player of the Year, is the top returning point-getter from last season (24 points).
Defensively, the Cougars are projected to return a majority of their defense back to the team from last season. Last year, the Cougars only allowed 11 goals, which included 20 games with one-goal-or-less allowed.
Three of the projected BYU starting defenders each played 1500 minutes or more last season, including the 2016 WCC Defensive Player of the Year, Taylor Isom, who played 1833 minutes.
Along with her WCC Defensive Player of the Year plaudit, Isom spent time with the U.S U-23 Women's National Team (March 2017), was named a 2016 NSCAA Second Team All-American, and will serve as the team captain for the second-straight season in 2017.
Goalkeeper Hannah Clark returns to the Cougars for her senior season in net. After only playing for 82 minutes in 2015, Clark took over the starting spot last year and played almost 1550 minutes. On the year, she tallied a record of 17-2-1, made 54 saves, recorded six solo shutouts, assisted in another six shutouts, and posted a goals against average of 0.52.
Nationally, the BYU defense ranked ninth last season in goals against average (.491).
PSU VS. BYU
Penn State and BYU will meet for the third time in program history on Friday night. Friday's contest will also be the second-straight season in which BYU traveled to Penn State.
BYU leads the all-time series against the Nittany Lions, 2-0-0. Last year, BYU topped Penn State, 3-2, behind a hat trick from then-senior Ashley Hatch.
LOOKING AT HOFSTRA
Before heading to Penn State for a Sunday matinee, the Hofstra Pride open their season at Pittsburgh on Friday, Aug. 18, at 7 p.m.
After going 10-7-1 last season, Hofstra was picked fifth in the 2017 Colonial Athletic Association coaches' preseason poll.
The Pride return three of their top-four goal scorers in Kristin Desmond (six), Noriana Radwan (six), and Madeline Anderson (two).
In net, Ashley Wilson returns for her redshirt junior season in 2017 after posting a record 5-4-0, making 34 saves, and allowing 13 goals last season.
PSU VS. HOFSTRA
The series between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Hofstra Pride dates back to the 2007 season. The two programs first met in the 2007 NCAA Tournament with the Nittany Lions capturing a 2-1 overtime win.
With 10 seconds left in regulation, Carly Bedesem tied the match at 1-1 and it only took 65 seconds into overtime for Katie Schoepfer to find the back of the net to propel the Nittany Lions to victory.
This weekend marks the third-straight season that Penn State has hosted Hofstra. Last year, the Nittany Lions tallied a 3-1 win behind Charlotte Williams' first-career two-goal outing.
Penn State leads the all-time series between the two programs, 5-0-0.
OPENING AT HOME
Penn State has opened the season at home 13 times with the Nittany Lions tallying a record of 11-0-2. The 2017 season marks the fifth-straight season that Penn State has opened the year at home.
THE POLLS
Heading into the season, Penn State is No. 1 in the TopDrawerSoccer poll and No. 3 in the Soccer America poll.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Seniors Frannie Crouse and Megan Schafer have ascended the Penn State all-time charts over the past three seasons. Heading into 2017, Crouse ranks 15th in points (78), 12th in goals (33), T-10th in game-winning goals (12), seventh in shots on goal (91), and tied for 12th in shots attempted (187).
Schafer ranks 21st in points (64), tied for 17th in goals (25), and tied for 16th in game-winning goals (nine).
WELCOME BACK
The Nittany Lions return 22 letterwinners to the program for the 2017 season, including seven starters from the 2015 College Cup Final.
Of the 108 points tallied as a team last season, the Penn State offense returns 97 of those points. Offensively last season, Frannie Crouse paced the Nittany Lions with 27 points on a Big Ten-best 12 goals and she added three assists. In addition to Crouse, Megan Schafer posted 17 points on six goals and five assists, while Charlotte Williams netted 16 points on six goals and four assists.
In net, Rose Chandler returns to the team after sitting out last season after joining the U.S. U-20 Women's National Team that competed at the 2016 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. Along with Chandler, Amanda Dennis is back for her sophomore season. As a true freshman last year, Dennis went 12-5-4, recorded seven solo shutouts, posted a goals against average of 0.92, and tallied 59 saves.
#PSU2021
The Penn State women's soccer class of 2021 is comprised of five members. Though it is a small class, it is a highly touted class; according to TopDrawerSoccer, the Nittany Lion freshman class is ranked No. 4 overall.
Kerry Abello, Casey Ballow, Shea Moyer, Frankie Tagliaferri, and Emma Thomson make up the Penn State freshman class this fall. The quintet bring numerous accolades and experience with the U.S. National Team youth program to the Nittany Lions.
TOUGH TEST EARLY
The Penn State soccer team will embark on a tough stretch during its non-conference season. The Nittany Lions will open the season against No. 8 BYU (Aug. 18) before hosting Hofstra (Aug. 20). Following the opening weekend of the season, Penn State then travels to No. 17 Arkansas (Aug. 25) and then to Morgantown, W.Va., for a clash with No. 1 West Virginia (Sept. 2).
Following a two-game road trip, the Nittany Lions return home to host No. 6 North Carolina (Sept. 7) at Jeffrey Field and then the non-conference slate comes to a close with a trip to No. 11 Virginia (Sept. 10).
THE B1G SLATE
The 2017 Big Ten regular season schedule features Penn State playing six road matches and five matches at Jeffrey Field. Penn State opens the conference slate with fellow 2016 Big Ten champion No. 23 Northwestern on Sept. 14 at Jeffrey Field. The opening weekend of conference action continues with the Blue & White hosting Illinois on Sept. 17.
The Nittany Lions then head on the road for three matches against Iowa (Sept. 22), No. 22 Nebraska (Sept. 24), and Ohio State (Sept. 30). Following Penn State's road trip, the Nittany Lions return home to host Michigan (Oct. 6) and Michigan State (Oct. 8).
The final stretch of conference play begins with a pair of matches at No. 21 Rutgers (Oct. 12) and Maryland (Oct. 15). Penn State then returns home for its regular season home finale against Purdue (Oct. 20) before heading to Madison, Wis., to close out the regular season against Wisconsin (Oct. 25).
Due to a rotating schedule, Penn State will not play Indiana or Minnesota during the 2017 regular season.
HOME SWEET HOME
Heading into the 2017 season, the Nittany Lions have posted an all-time record of 224-26-12 at Jeffrey Field, which includes a Big Ten Conference record of 102-6-5. Since the start of the 2011 season, Penn State has a record of 64-6-6 at Jeffrey Field.
Penn State kicked off the 2016 campaign setting an attendance record against No. 6 WVU. A Penn State women's soccer record 5,791 fans made their way to Jeffrey Field to watch the Nittany Lions and Mountaineers play to a 1-1 draw. The previous mark of 5,117 was set in 2012 against the top-ranked Stanford Cardinal.
OH CAPTAINS, MY CAPTAINS
Defenders Elizabeth Ball and Brittany Basinger have been named the captains of the 2017 Penn State women's soccer team.
Heading into her senior year, Ball has played in 72 matches, which includes 71 starts, scored six goals and added one assist.
Basinger will be a redshirt senior in 2017 as she received a redshirt during the 2014 season. During her Nittany Lion career she has posted 71 starts in 71 games played, netted 14 points on four goals and six assists.
#PSWS ON BTN
The Nittany Lions will have three regular season matches broadcasted live on the Big Ten Network (BTN) during 2017. BTN is scheduled to broadcast the North Carolina-Penn State match (Sept 7), the Northwestern-Penn State match (Sept. 14), and the Penn State-Rutgers match (Oct. 12).
PRESEASON HONORS
Heading into the 2017 season, six Nittany Lions have received preseason honors.
The Big Ten announced its players to watch list with Elizabeth Ball, Brittany Basinger, and Frannie Crouse garnering honors.
TopDrawerSoccer announced its Preseason Top-100 list and its Preseason Best XI Teams. On TopDrawerSoccer's Top-100 list, Emily Ogle is No. 5, followed by Kaleigh Riehl at No. 7, Crouse is No. 18, Maddie Elliston is No. 43, and Ball rounds out the Nittany Lion contingent at No. 55.
Ogle and Riehl were also named to the TopDrawerSoccer Best XI First Team, while Crouse was named to the TopDrawerSoccer Best XI Second Team.
Along with the Big Ten and TopDrawerSoccer honors, Crouse and Ogle were named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List.
PICKED TO DEFEND
Prior to the start of the 2017 season the Nittany Lions were picked to win the Big Ten regular season title. Since the beginning of the coaches' preseason poll in 2003, the Nittany Lions have been picked to win the conference every season. The 2016 season saw Northwestern, Minnesota, and Penn State all tie for the league title.
FOR CLUB AND COUNTRY
The 2017 Penn State women's soccer roster is bolstered with numerous Nittany Lions with national team experience with their respective countries.
Last fall, six Nittany Lions competed at the 2016 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, as five Penn Staters represented the United States and Laura Freigang was a member of the German National Team. For the United States, Rose Chandler, Maddie Elliston, Ellie Jean, Emily Ogle, and Kaleigh Riehl donned the Red, White, & Blue.
Along with the Penn State presence at the 2016 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, a handful of Nittany Lions have taken part in competitions/training camps for their respective national teams at different age levels since the start of the calendar year.
UP NEXT
The Nittany Lions head to Fayetteville, Ark., to take on the No. 17 Arkansas Razorbacks on Aug. 25. The match is slated for a 6:30 p.m. start at Razorback Field.