Nov. 9, 2017
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 10 and third-seeded Penn State women's soccer team (12-4-4) hosts the Stony Brook Seawolves (11-10-0) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday, Nov. 10. The match is slated for a 7:30 p.m. start at Jeffrey Field.
FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can follow along with a free live stream and live stats on GoPSUsports.com.
TICKET INFORMATION
Fans are reminded that there is an admission charge for postseason events at Jeffrey Field.
Ticket sales at Jeffrey Field are cash only, but fans can purchase tickets for the match prior to Friday by calling 1-800-NITTANY or visiting the ticket office at the Bryce Jordan Center. Tickets go on-sale Tuesday, Nov. 7, starting at 10 a.m.
Ticket prices are: $8 for adults, $5 for youth and students of participating schools and $3 for groups of 20 or more.
PARKING INFORMATION
Fans should utilize the Stadium West entrance off Park Avenue and identify themselves as women's soccer fans to the attendant. Parking will be available in the paved lot as well as the grass lots south of Jeffrey Field. Soccer fans with RVs will be directed to Porter North parking lot.
LOOKING AT STONY BROOK
The Stony Brook Seawolves enter their second-ever NCAA Tournament after defeating Vermont, 2-1, in the 2017 America East Women's Soccer Championship. On the year, Stony Brook has an overall record of 11-10-0 and went 4-4-0 during the regular season in the America East conference.
As the No. 5 seed, Stony Brook topped No. 4 seed Hartford, 2-0, in the quarterfinal round then defeated No. 1 seed New Hampshire, 1-0, in the semifinal round. In the America East Championship match, Alyssa Francese and Manuela Corcho each scored, while goalkeeper Sofia Manner tallied a five-save outing.
Offensively, Francese and Rachel Florenz lead the team in points with 19 and 14, respectively. The duo also leads the team in goals with nine and six, respectively.
In net, Manner has started 19-of-21 games, tallied a record of 10-9-0, has a goals-against average of 0.84, has a save percentage of .826, recorded 76 saves, and has five solo shutouts to her name.
SERIES HISTORY VS. STONY BROOK
Friday's match marks the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Stony Brook will be the 88th different team Penn State will have played in program history.
BIG TEN TOURNAMENT RECAP
The Nittany Lions are coming off a battled-tested three-game stretch in the Big Ten Tournament, as Penn State went to penalty kicks, won in double overtime, and was able to overcome a late deficit en route to its seventh Big Ten Tournament title.
In the Big Ten Quarterfinal round, Penn State topped Rutgers in penalty kicks, 4-3, to advance to the Big Ten Semifinal round against Ohio State.
Against the Buckeyes, Laura Freigang scored with 42 seconds left in double overtime to give Penn State a 1-0 victory.
Then in the Big Ten Tournament Championship match, Penn State scored twice during the final 19:26 of regulation to defeat Northwestern, 2-1.
ALL-B1G HONORS
For Penn State, four Nittany Lions were tabbed with All-Big Ten honors, as Emily Ogle was named to the First Team, Kaleigh Riehl and Megan Schafer received Second Team plaudits, and Charlotte Williams was named to the Third Team.
Along the PSU quartet that garnered All-Big Ten Team honors, Frankie Tagliaferri was named to the All-Freshman Team and Laura Suero received the Sportsmanship Award for Penn State.
THE POLLS
In the final polls before the NCAA Tournament, Penn State sits at No. 9 (Soccer America), No. 10 (United Soccer Coaches), and No. 12 (TopDrawerSoccer). The Nittany Lions are also No. 10 in the NCAA RPI.
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The 2017 NCAA Tournament marks Penn State's 23rd-straight appearance.
Penn State sports an all-time record of 47-20-2 in NCAA Tournament matches, including a record of 16-3-0 in first round contests.
The Nittany Lions have advanced to the College Cup five times (1999, '02, '05, '12, & '15) and won their first NCAA title in 2015.
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 (86), 11th in goals (35), 10th in game-winning goals (13), is sixth in shots on goal (105), is 11th in shots attempted (222), and is T-26th in assists (16).
Schafer ranks 16th in points (77), T-15th in goals (30), T-14th in game-winning goals (11), is 19th in shots attempted (152), is 13th in shots on goal (67), and is T-24th in assists (17).
Along with Crouse and Schafer, a quartet of Nittany Lions have also etched their names into the PSU record books.
Haleigh Echard has netted 47 shots on goal during her career, which ranks 20th.
Salina Williford is 21st in shots on goal (46) and is 24th in shots attempted (124).
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 24th in assists (17), is 12th in shots on goal (69), and is 22nd in shots attempted (146).
COMING UP CLUTCH
Seniors Frannie Crouse and Megan Schafer have combined for 24 career game-winning goals.
Crouse's 13 game-winning goals rank 10th all-time at PSU, while Schafer's 11 game-winning goals are tied for 14th.
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 (393). UVa leads the nation in goals scored during that stretch (446). (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.
Almost a month later, Freigang netted her second game-winning goal of the season, again in overtime, on Oct. 15.
Against the Maryland Terrapins, Freigang captured a 1-0 victory for Penn State with her goal at 94:02.
Following Penn State's match at Maryland, Freigang scored her third goal of the season at 86:14 to force a 2-2 draw against Purdue on Oct. 20.
Freigang would once again play the hero in an overtime thriller, as she captured her third game-winning goal of the season with 42 seconds left on the clock in double overtime to give No. 15 Penn State a 1-0 victory over No. 9 Ohio State in the Big Ten Semifinal round on Nov. 3.
Trailing 1-0 with 19:26 left in regulation against Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament final, Freigang netted her fifth goal of the season to tie the match at 1-1.
Freigang has scored all five of her goals this season after the 70th minute of play.
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.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Nittany Lions have posted an all-time record of 231-26-13 at Jeffrey Field, which includes a Big Ten
Conference record of 106-6-6. Since the start of the 2011 season, Penn State has a record of 71-6-7 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 sixth in overall attendance (14,748) and fifth in average attendance (1,844).
In NCAA Tournament matches, Penn State is 37-6-1 at Jeffrey Field.
#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.
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.
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 Stony Brook match, Ball ranks sixth all-time at PSU in minutes played (7,544), while Basinger is 12th (6,795).
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 winner of No. 10 Penn State and Stony Brook will play the winner of No. 15 Georgetown and No. 24 Wake Forest on Friday, Nov. 17. The time and location will be announced later.