UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 8 Penn State women's soccer returns to Happy Valley to kick off a five-match homestand on Sunday, as the Nittany Lions play host to the No. 16 TCU Horned Frogs in a 1 p.m. kick on Jeffrey Field. Streaming is available to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+.
MATCH INFORMATION
#16 TCU at #8 PENN STATE
Sunday, August 27, 2023 | 1 p.m. (ET)
Jeffrey Field | University Park, Pa.
Watch Live: B1G+
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
PROMOTIONS & PARKING
Sunday's top-25 test against TCU will serve as the Nittany Lions' annual 800-strong match, where Penn State student-athletes are encouraged to attend in mass. Each season, all 31 Penn State varsity athletic programs host one home event each season where all student-athletes are invited to attend and support their counterparts from across the campus. One of the largest athletic departments in NCAA Division I, Penn State boasts the fourth-most national championships all-time and has a historic track record of success in Big Ten Conference competition.
Parking for all Penn State women's soccer matches will require a valid permit or payment of the applicable parking fee for campus lots. Fans with valid Penn State University parking permits will be permitted to park at women's soccer matches for free, following Transportation Services parking policies and access. For women's soccer matches, fans are asked to park in the Jordan East, Stadium West or Porter North lots. Fans without a permit are encouraged to prepay for event parking at a discounted rate of $5.50 through the ParkMobile app, or by clicking here. Prepayment is available through 11:59 p.m. the day before each event. Event day parking will be $10 per vehicle.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
For fans unable to attend in person, Penn State's second top-25 match of the 2023 campaign in Happy Valley will be streamed live to a worldwide audience via B1G+. Authenticated subscribers are invited to click here and sign in to B1G+ on their mobile phones, computers, smart TVs and other connected devices to follow along. Juan Mendez will provide play-by-play commentary, while Mac Young will serve as the broadcast's color analyst. Cailey Thalman will report from the sideline. Live stats provided by Penn State and StatBroadcast are available by clicking here.
KICKIN' IT
The Blue & White return to action following an exhilarating 2-1 road victory over the West Virginia Mountaineers on Thursday in Morgantown. PSU saw sophomore midfielder Olivia Borgen notch the first goal of her collegiate career in the 15th minute, while redshirt junior forward Kaitlyn MacBean put away the first match-winning goal of her career in the 85th. Nittany Lion skipper and 21-year head coaching veteran Erica Dambach notched the 300th victory of her illustrious career in the win over WVU, bringing her overall individual record as a head coach to 300-118-29.
COUNTRY ROADS, TAKE US HOME
With the match nearing its end, redshirt junior midfielder Olivia Damico found redshirt junior forward Kaitlyn MacBean, who buried a miraculous match-winning goal to guarantee Penn State's 2-1 win on the road over West Virginia, who was receiving votes in this week's United Soccer Coaches Poll. West Virginia took slim leads in the box score, winning the shot battle by a 10-8 margin while placing six shots on goal to PSU's four. The Nittany Lions and Mountaineers split the corner kick contest right down the middle, with each squad picking up a pair of corners in the match. A quartet of PSU athletes booked points on the evening, headlined by sophomore midfielder Olivia Borgen's first career goal in addition to MacBean's go-ahead score. Damico and senior+ midfielder Natalie Wilson were both credited with assists on the night, marking the second-straight scoring match for both PSU standouts.
THE DAMBACHERY
For Dambach, a 21-year veteran of the head coaching profession, Thursday's result against WVU brought her individual record to 300-118-29 and 260-89-26 since assuming the top job in Happy Valley in 2007. She remains the winningest head coach in terms of winning percentage in B1G history, boasting a 0.728 mark at PSU. Over the course of her storied career with the Blue & White, Dambach has hauled in 16 consecutive NCAA Tournament bids, 11 B1G regular season titles, five B1G Tournament titles, two NCAA Women's College Cup nods and the 2015 National Championship.
UNITED, WE RANKED
Penn State debuted at the No. 10 position in the inaugural United Soccer Coaches poll of the 2023 season and climbed two spots to No. 8 nationally in the organization's release on Tuesday, August 22. The Blue & White stand as the highest-ranked team in the Big Ten Conference this week, leading a group of four programs that were either ranked or receiving votes. Defending Big Ten regular season champion Michigan State rose to the No. 14 position, while the Wisconsin Badgers and Northwestern Wildcats were both receiving votes in the poll. Penn State non-conference opponents North Carolina (3), TCU (16), UCF (22) and West Virginia (RV) round out the seven overall Nittany Lion challengers in and around the United Top-25.
TESTING TCU
TCU and Penn State get set for their first all-time meeting in women's soccer, as 12-year head coach Eric Bell leads the Horned Frogs into Happy Valley boasting a 1-1-0 overall record. TCU defeated SMU to open the season but followed that with a 2-0 defeat in Fort Worth at the hands of the sixth-ranked Florida State Seminoles. The Horned Frogs return to work in 2023 after an impressive 2022 campaign that featured a 14-5-5 overall record, a 5-1-3 ledger in Big 12 play and an NCAA Third Round appearance. TCU's only goal of the 2023 season to date came off the boot of Gracie Brian, with an assist credited to AJ Hennessey in the Horned Frogs' 1-0 win over Metroplex rival SMU. Between the pipes, Lauren Kellett leads the way with six saves and a 0.750 save percentage.
FOLLOW THE NITTANY LIONS
Visit GoPSUSports.com for more information on Penn State women's soccer. Fans can keep up to date with the Nittany Lion women's soccer team on X and Instagram @PennStateWSOC, in addition to the team's Facebook page at /PSUWomensSoccer.
The 30th Season of Penn State women's soccer is presented by the Smeal College of Business.
