ROSEMONT, Ill. – Penn State women’s soccer senior defender Mieke Schiemann secured the third Big Ten Conference weekly accolade of her collegiate career, earning B1G Defensive Player of the Week distinction in the league office’s weekly release Tuesday afternoon.
Schiemann, a native of Berlin, Germany, booked Penn State’s second Big Ten Conference weekly award of the 2024 season this week, landing those honors after a pair of goals scored in addition to another set of lockdown defensive performances for the Blue & White. Schiemann found the back of the net with a pair of penalty kick scores, highlighted by the match-winning goal against the Columbia Lions on Penn State’s senior day last Sunday. Schiemann additionally helped anchor a Penn State defense that held Michigan scoreless for just the fourth time this year while simultaneously pushing the pace on the dribble to spark the PSU attack. The Nittany Lions outpaced Michigan by a 6-0 score, marking the largest margin of victory over the Wolverines in program history as well as the most goals PSU has scored against Michigan all-time.
The veteran center back is already well on her way to replicating her breakout 2023 season on the offensive end, amassing a pair of goals scored and an assist for five total points through her first eight matches of the year. Schiemann has played and started all but one of Penn State’s matches this year, logging 90 minutes in three of her eight appearances to date. Over the course of her storied PSU career, Schiemann has played in 71 matches, making 70 starts while scoring 28 points split between 10 career goals and eight assists.
With Schiemann anchoring the back line for the Nittany Lions, Penn State has re-established its footing as one of the strongest defensive units in the nation, ranking 34th nationally and fifth in the expanded Big Ten in goals-against average with 0.556 goals allowed per match. Penn State’s stellar defensive work has culminated in one of the strongest goal differentials across all of college soccer, with the Blue & White leading the B1G and ranking 12th nationally with a +19 goal differential. PSU’s B1G-opening shutout against Michigan was the most decisive result of opening weekend, with the 6-0 Nittany Lion win outpacing a 5-0 showing from Michigan State at Maryland on the opening night of conference action.
PSU collected its first B1G Defensive Player of the Week award in the 2024 season, as well as its second accolade of the year overall following Kaitlyn MacBean’s recognition as the league’s Offensive Player of the Week earlier in the campaign. Penn State’s last Defensive Player of the Week honor came on Tuesday, August 22, with alumna and current Orlando Pride FC holding midfielder Cori Dyke landing those accolades. Schiemann collected her third career B1G Player of the Week award, joining a pair of Defensive Player of the Week honors on August 30 and September 27, 2022.
The Nittany Lions, who rose to the No. 9 position in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll released on Tuesday, prepare for one of the most pivotal weekends at home in the 2024 campaign. PSU hosts the Northwestern Wildcats on Thursday, September 19, in a 7 p.m. (ET) fixture from Jeffrey Field on B1G+ before squaring off in the program’s second home top 10 matchup of the year with a nationally televised Sunday matinee against No. 5 Michigan State. Kickoff between the Nittany Lions and Spartans is set for Sunday, September 22, with kickoff slated for 2 p.m. (ET) on the Big Ten Network.
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