UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State women's soccer head coach Erica Dambach announced the program's 2021 schedule Thursday with 17 total matches, including meetings with 10 Big Ten Conference opponents. The Nittany Lions open their campaign at home Thursday, Aug. 19 vs. UMass, and Jeffrey Field will accommodate full capacity for the first Penn State Athletics event of the fall.
"What an amazing way to start off the 2021 season as the first home contest on campus to welcome back our passionate fan base to Jeffrey Field! We were privileged to be able to compete last year, and win another Big Ten title, and we're fortunate to have so many of our players returning this year," said Dambach. "This 2021 team is a special one and with a new season, and the start of the new year, we'll be ready to welcome everyone back to campus!"
The season opener on Aug. 19 is the first of three-straight home matches versus non-conference foes. After the Thursday night opener, the Nittany Lions play at home on back-to-back Sundays with an Aug. 22 date vs. La Salle and Aug. 29 contest vs. Hofstra.
In September, Penn State plays five matches away from home to open the month. The journey begins with a Thursday, Sept. 2 game at West Virginia and trip to UCF for a Sunday, Sept. 5 date. The Nittany Lions face back-to-back Atlantic Coast Conference foes, first playing Virginia on Thursday, Sept. 9 and staying in Charlottesville, Virginia, for a Sunday, Sept. 12 match against NC State.
Penn State opens conference play at Rutgers on Sunday, Sept. 19 and then makes its only appearances at home in September as it plays host to Northwestern on Thursday, Sept. 23 with Ohio State set for Sunday, Sept. 26. PSU closes out the month with a road trip to Wisconsin on Thursday, Sept. 30 and heads to Minnesota for a Sunday, Oct. 3 match.
Three-straight home matches are on the docket with a Sunday, Oct. 10 game vs. Maryland followed by the Thursday-Sunday combination the following week with Indiana on Thursday, Oct. 14 and Purdue Sunday, Oct. 17 at Jeffrey Field.
The Nittany Lions close the regular-season action road games at Michigan on Thursday, Oct. 21 and at Michigan State Sunday, Oct. 24.
Penn State won its 20th Big Ten Conference title in spring 2021 with a 9-1-1 record in league play and 12-3-1 overall mark. The Nittany Lions produced a 10-match unbeaten streak during the regular season and earned their 26th-straight NCAA Tournament berth. For the eighth time in the last 10 seasons, Penn State advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament in 2020-21.
Match times, television and streaming details will be announced at a later date.
2021 Penn State Women's Soccer Schedule
AUGUST
THUR., AUG. 19 – UMASS
SUN., AUG. 22 – LA SALLE
SUN., AUG. 29 – HOFSTRA
SEPTEMBER
Thur., Sept. 2 – at West Virginia
Sun., Sept. 5 – at UCF
Thur., Sept. 9 – at Virginia
Sun., Sept. 12 – vs. NC State (at Charlottesville, Va.)
Sun., Sept. 19 – at Rutgers *
THUR., SEPT. 23 – NORTHWESTERN *
SUN., SEPT. 26 – OHIO STATE *
Thur., Sept. 30 – at Wisconsin *
OCTOBER
Sun., Oct. 3 – at Minnesota *
SUN., OCT. 10 – MARYLAND *
THUR., OCT. 14 – INDIANA *
SUN., OCT. 17 – PURDUE *
Thur., Oct. 21 – at Michigan *
Sun., Oct. 24 – at Michigan State *
Fri.-Sun., Oct. 29-31 – Big Ten Conference Championship Quarterfinals
NOVEMBER
Fri., Nov. 5 – Big Ten Conference Championship Semifinals
Sun., Nov. 7 – Big Ten Conference Championship Final
Dec. 3-5 – College Cup, at San Jose, Calif.
CAPS indicate home match at Jeffrey Field.
* denotes Big Ten Conference match.
