Sept. 21, 2017
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 7 Penn State women's soccer team (6-2-0, 2-0-0 B1G) travels to the Midwest this weekend to begin a three-match road trip. The Nittany Lions take on Iowa (5-2-0, 0-0-0 B1G) on Friday, Sept. 22, before playing Nebraska (6-2-0, 0-0-0 B1G) on Sunday, Sept. 24. The Iowa match is scheduled for 8 p.m. (EDT) at the Iowa Soccer Complex, while the Nebraska match is slated for 2 p.m. (EDT) at Hibner Stadium.
FOLLOW ALONG
Both matches will be streamed on BTN2Go.com, but fans must have a BTN Plus account to access the stream. Live stats will be available on GoPSUsports.com.
LOOKING AT IOWA
Iowa enters the meeting with Penn State on Friday with an overall record of 5-2-0. Friday's contest will be the Big Ten opener for the Hawkeyes, as Iowa and Nebraska were not able to play last weekend.
The Hawkeyes last played on Sept. 10 when they fell to Loyola Chicago in a 3-0 contest.
In seven games this season, three Hawkeyes have recorded 10-or-more points. Devin Burns leads the team with 12 points and is tied for the team lead in goals with five.
Olivia Fiegel and Kaleigh Haus are tied for second on the team in points with 10 each. Fiegel is also tied for the team lead in goals (five), while Haus is third with four.
In net, Claire Graves leads the team in minutes played (580:48), saves (20), and shutouts (three). Graves also has a goals against average of 1.08 and a save percentage of .741.
LOOKING AT NEBRASKA
Prior to Nebraska hosting Penn State on Sunday, the Huskers welcome the Ohio State Buckeyes to Hibner Stadium on Friday.
Nebraska is 6-2-0 on the year and 0-0-0 in Big Ten action due to the postponement of the Iowa match from last weekend.
After opening the season No. 22 in the coaches poll, Nebraska climbed as high as 14 before falling out of the rankings. Nebraska is currently receiving votes in the coaches poll.
The Huskers are led by the duo of Haley Hanson and Elyse Huber. Hanson has 10 points on four goals and two assists, while Huber has nine points on four goals and one assist.
In goal for Nebraska, Aubrei Corder has played every minute on the year (739:41). In 2017, Corder has allowed four goals, tallied a goals against average of 0.49, made 16 saves and has five shutouts to her name.
LAST TIME OUT
The Penn State women's soccer team is coming off a 1-0 double overtime victory against Illinois on Sept. 17.
The contest featured Penn State outshooting Illinois, 27-2, with the game-winner coming with 42 seconds left in the outing from sophomore Laura Freigang.
On the game-winning goal, defender Maddie Elliston played the ball to Freigang into the box from midfield.
Freigang then played the ball to herself, turned and buried a right-footed shot past Illinois goalkeeper Jaelyn Cunningham from 16 yards out to clinch the 1-0 victory for Penn State at 109:18.
In net for the Nittany Lions, Rose Chandler made her lone save of the afternoon in the 56th minute.
WEEKLY HONORS
Following her first career two-goal game in a 3-1 victory against No. 8 BYU, junior Marissa Sheva was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week on Aug. 22. Her Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honor was the first of her career.
A week later, Sheva netted her second two-goal game of the season in a 4-2 win at Arkansas.
For her two-goal outing at Arkansas, Sheva was named to the TopDrawerSoccer Team of the Week.
TEN IN THREE
During the first three matches of the 2017 season, Penn State recorded one of its best starts in program history offensively.
For the seventh time in program history, Penn State women's soccer scored at least 10 goals in its first three matches of the season.
The program record for goals scored in the first three games was set back in 1996 (12).
THE POLLS
In the most recent polls, Penn State sits at No. 3 (Soccer America), No. 7 (United Soccer Coaches), and No. 8 (TopDrawerSoccer).
The NCAA released its first RPI ranking of the year on Sept. 18 with Penn State checking in at 25.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Seniors Frannie Crouse and Megan Schafer have ascended the Penn State all-time charts during their Nittany Lion careers.
Crouse ranks 12th in points (84), 11th in goals (35), 10th in game-winning goals (13), is sixth in shots on goal (98), and is 12th in shots attempted (205).
Schafer ranks tied for 19th in points (71), 17th in goals (27), T-15th in game-winning goals (10), is 22nd in shots attempted (124), 24th in assists (17), and T-16th in shots on goal (58).
Along with Crouse and Schafer, a trio of Nittany Lions have also etched their names into the Penn State record books.
Haleigh Echard has netted 44 shots on goal during her career, which ranks tied for 20th.
Emily Ogle's 14 goals rank 23rd all-time, while her four penalty kicks made are third-most in program history.
Junior Charlotte Williams is tied for 25th in assists (16), is 14th in shots on goal (62), and 24th in shots attempted (121).
COMING UP CLUTCH
Seniors Frannie Crouse and Megan Schafer have combined for 23 career game-winning goals.
Crouse's 13 game-winning goals rank 10th all-time at PSU, while Schafer's 10 game-winning goals are tied for 15th.
PROLIFIC ATTACK
Since the start of the 2011 season the Penn State women's soccer team has scored the second-most goals in the country (379). UVa leads the nation in goals scored during that stretch (428). (Stats courtesy of UVa Sports Info.)
LATE-GAME HEROICS
On Sept. 17, Laura Freigang captured a 1-0 victory for the Nittany Lions in a double overtime thriller over Illinois.
Freigang's goal with 42 seconds left in the second overtime session marked the latest goal in a game for Penn State since Nov. 7, 2010, when Ali Schaefer scored a goal with 17 seconds left in double overtime to lift the Nittany Lions to a 1-0 victory over Michigan.
TOUGH TEST EARLY
The Penn State women's 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).
After 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).
THREE-IN-A-ROW
With matches against No. 6 West Virginia, No. 6 North Carolina and No. 8 Virginia, Penn State women's soccer played three-straight matches against teams ranked in the top-10 in the United Soccer Coaches poll.
The three-match top-10 stretch is the first of its kind for PSU since the 2005 NCAA Tournament.
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 for 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. Women's National Team youth program to the Nittany Lions.
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
The Nittany Lions have posted an all-time record of 229-26-12 at Jeffrey Field, which includes a Big Ten Conference record of 104-6-5. Since the start of the 2011 season, Penn State has a record of 69-6-6 at Jeffrey Field.
Penn State kicked off its 2017 campaign with the fifth-best crowd in program history at Jeffrey Field. Against No. 8 BYU on Aug. 18, 3,570 fans came out to witness the Nittany Lions capture a 3-1 victory.
Among the national leaders in attendance, Penn State ranks third in overall attendance (9,939) and fifth in average attendance (1,988).
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. Heading into 2017, 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 will broadcast the North Carolina-Penn State match (Sept. 7), the Northwestern-Penn State match (Sept. 14), and the Penn State-Rutgers match (Oct. 12).
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 Minnesota, Northwestern, and Penn State all tie for the league title.
DEPENDABLE DEFENSIVE DUO
Seniors Elizabeth Ball and Brittany Basinger have been a mainstay on the Nittany Lion backline for the past few seasons.
Heading into the weekend, Ball ranks 12th all-time at PSU in minutes played (6,601), while Basinger is 20th (5,989).
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.
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
Penn State closes out its three-match road trip at Ohio State on Saturday, Sept. 30. The match is slated for a 6 p.m. start at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.