UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 3 Penn State women’s soccer returns to action after a weeklong hiatus from competition this Thursday night, August 22, as the Nittany Lions play host to the 21st-ranked Virginia Cavaliers in a 5:30 p.m. (ET) start from Jeffrey Field. The contest, which will also serve as PSU’s annual March to the Match promotion welcoming first-year Nittany Lion students, will stream live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+ and the B1G+ app.

FAN INFORMATION, PARKING & PROMOTIONS

With the start of construction projects benefitting all 800+ student-athletes at Penn State, notably the construction of the Jeffrey Field Soccer Complex at the south end of the facility, elements of the Jeffrey Field match day experience have changed. Due to construction, the grass area behind the south goal will not be accessible to spectators. Spectator entrances are located on either end of Jeffrey Field near the corner flags on the south side of the facility. For more spectator information, as well as a diagram of the facility, click here.

Spectator parking is located in the Stadium West lot, with entrance to the lot located at the intersection of Park Avenue and Stadium West Drive. ADA accessibility is still available on either side of the facility. Spectators wishing to access the University Drive seating area should park in the Stadium West lot closest to the Bryce Jordan Center and walk down the sidewalk to the main entrance on the University Drive side of the facility. To prepay for parking at a discounted rate, click here. Event day parking will be $10 at the main entrance to the lot.

Thursday night’s nationally ranked clash on Jeffrey Field will serve as the Penn State women’s soccer program’s annual March to the Match. One of the nation’s most electric college soccer atmospheres will feature the return of the Penn State student body to campus as a part of welcome week, with first-year students and their families invited to celebrate their first athletic event as Nittany Lions at Jeffrey Field. For members of the Park Avenue Army and other student organizations interested in marching to the match, fans are encouraged to meet at East Residence Halls between 4:30 and 4:45 p.m. (ET), with the march set to begin at 4:45 p.m. (ET) from the East Quad. The first 300 students in attendance will receive a Nittany Lion women’s soccer t-shirt.

KICKIN’ IT

The Blue & White return to work following a dominant showing on opening night last Thursday, August 15, with then-fourth-ranked PSU dismantling eighth-ranked Texas Tech in a 4-0 result. Penn State called on four different goal scorers to produce the final line, highlighted by three student-athletes recording their first goals in a Nittany Lion kit. Penn State opened its season with a victory for the first time since the 2021 fall campaign, which kicked off with a 3-1 win over the UMass Minutemen on August 19 of that year. The Nittany Lions also secured the win in the first all-time meeting with Texas Tech, marking the program’s 20th win over a current Big 12 Conference opponent all-time.

In the most recent United Soccer Coaches poll, released on Tuesday, August 20, Penn State improved to the No. 3 position in the nation following their dominant opening-night result in a top 10 clash. Penn State is the highest ranked team in the Big Ten Conference, leading a group of seven teams that are either ranked or receiving votes in the poll. Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Mackenzie Gress departed with the United States U-20 Women’s Youth National Team for the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia last Sunday, August 18. The Nittany Lion shotstopper made headlines last week with a PK save late in the 4-0 shutout over Texas Tech, and will look to bring her individual momentum into the USYNT program over the next month.

JORDAN 11’S

Senior midfielder Jordan Fusco picked up national accolades following the first week of the season, appearing on the TopDrawerSoccer National Team of the Week in the organization’s release Tuesday, August 20. A native of Olmsted Township, Ohio, Fusco arrived in Happy Valley last spring and made an instant impact for the Nittany Lions in her Penn State debut against Texas Tech. Fusco was the highest-scoring individual player in the win, with the newcomer logging both a goal and an assist in the match. Fusco opened the scoring in the 2024 season with a 17-yard left-footed banger in the seventh minute, later contributing an assist on a corner kick in the 17th. One of the headline women’s soccer transfers in the 2024 cycle, Fusco arrived in Happy Valley following a dominant trio of seasons at Tennessee. During her impressive career in Knoxville, Fusco totaled 38 points split between 14 total goals in addition to 10 assists, making 61 appearances and 53 starts in three years with the Lady Vols.