No. 15 Penn State Closes Heartland Road Trip at Nebraska
PSU faces off against defending B1G regular season champions in third nationally televised match
#15 Penn State at Nebraska
8-3-1 | 2-2-0 B1G
4-6-0 | 1-3-0 B1G
LINCOLN, Neb. – No. 15 Penn State women's soccer closes out its two-match road trip through America's heartland on Sunday, September 29, as the Nittany Lions visit the defending B1G regular season co-champion Nebraska Cornhuskers. Kickoff from Hibner Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m. (ET), with the match set to air live to a national television audience via the Big Ten Network, with streaming available on the FOX Sports App.
Follow the Action
For fans of the Nittany Lions unable to attend Sunday’s pivotal Big Ten Conference road test against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, fans across the country can tune into PSU’s third nationally televised match of the year on the Big Ten Network and FOX Sports App. Larry Punteney and Jaylyn Armstrong will call the action live from the Hibner Stadium press box. Click the link here to be redirected to the live stream of the broadcast and sign in with credentials for access. Live stats provided by the University of Nebraska and StatBroadcast are available here.
KICKIN’ IT
Despite jumping ahead by an early 1-0 margin, the No. 15 Nittany Lions ultimately conceded a pair of scores later in the first half to drop a 2-1 road decision to the No. 18 Iowa Hawkeyes Thursday night from the Iowa Soccer Complex. The trio of first-half goals belied what was largely a physical, defensive affair, with the two programs combining for just nine total shots over 90 minutes of effort. Iowa managed to secure the victory in the shot chart by a 7-2 margin, with a slimmer 5-2 differential in shot attempts on goal. The Blue & White tripled the Hawkeye save total, winning that statistic by a 3-1 tally, with both squads finishing the night with a pair of corner kicks each. Physicality was the name of the game, with Iowa racking up a striking 13 fouls against just eight from the Nittany Lions.
Junior forward Amelia White was impressive in her 62 minutes of work Thursday night, finding the back of the net for the first time in her third collegiate campaign. White, a native of Fort Wayne, Indiana, secured her fifth collegiate goal in less than two minutes of match time, burying the quickest Nittany Lion score to open a match in the 2024 season. On an individual basis, Penn State is currently led in total scoring and total goals by redshirt senior forward Kaitlyn MacBean, who boasts 21 total points split between 10 goals and an assist. MacBean is tied for third in the nation in total goals and is one of just six women to reach the double-digit scoring threshold in Division I to date this year. Jordan Fusco leads the way in the passing game with six helpers, all to MacBean, while redshirt junior Amanda Poorbaugh has stood watch over the PSU goal, booking a 7-3-1 individual record with 32 saves.
SCHEDULE? TUFF.
Penn State will battle three additional teams in conference competition who are currently ranked or receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches Poll released on Tuesday, September 24. PSU faces off against Ohio State (#12), USC (#24) and UCLA (RV) over the course of the next seven matches, with all three of those matchups coming on the road. The Blue & White have faced off against seven opponents to date that were either ranked or receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches poll at the time of the match, with the Nittany Lions cranking out a pair of ranked victories over those foes. PSU opened the year with a 4-0 thrashing of then-No. 4 Texas Tech, adding a 2-1 road win at then-No. 19 Saint Louis as well.
Next Up: Nebraska
KNOWING NEBRASKA
Under the direction of 31-year head coaching veteran John Walker, the Nebraska Cornhuskers return to their home field against the Nittany Lions following a 4-6-0 overall start through the first 10 matchups of the 2024 campaign. Nebraska finished tied atop the B1G leaderboard a year ago, claiming a share of the league crown with Michigan State, but is currently off to a 1-3-0 start in conference contests. Despite an early slide in league competition, the Cornhuskers got back to their winning ways in their most recent match at home against Illinois, with Nebraska recording a 1-0 win over the Fighting Illini. Returning All-Big Ten performer and Nebraska star Sarah Weber continues her dominance from the 2023 campaign this year, boasting the squad lead in total scoring with 16 points split between seven goals and two assists. In goal for the Huskers, Cece Villa has booked seven starts with a 0.725 save percentage and 37 saves this year.
STORY OF THE SERIES
Heading into the 13th all-time meeting of the two programs on Sunday, Penn State currently maintains a 7-3-2 advantage over the Cornhuskers in one of PSU's more recently developed Big Ten Conference rivalries. Penn State and Nebraska first squared off in women's soccer when the Cornhuskers joined the B1G in 2011. Recent results have predominately favored the Blue & White, with Penn State winning three of the last four matchups against the Cornhuskers, with two of those three victories coming on the road. Nebraska's last win in the series came on October 20, 2022, when the Cornhuskers picked up a 4-2 win at Hibner Stadium. Last year's regular season meeting in Happy Valley saw the Nittany Lions grind to a 1-0 victory over Nebraska, highlighted by a striking free kick goal in the 81st minute from current NWSL player and Orlando Pride FC holding midfielder Cori Dyke.
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.