No. 15 Women’s Soccer Closes 2024 Regular Season Sunday at No. 21 Ohio State
Nittany Lions renew rivalry series in 2024 regular season finale from Columbus
#15 Penn State at #21 Ohio State
11-4-3 | 5-3-2 B1G
10-4-3 | 5-3-2 B1G
COLUMBUS, Ohio – No. 15 Penn State women's soccer prepares for its final contest of a 19-match regular season slate on Sunday, October 27, as the Nittany Lions square off against the No. 21 Ohio State Buckeyes from Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. PSU faces its third consecutive ranked foe on the road this weekend, with the match set to begin at noon (ET) with streaming available via B1G+ and the B1G+ app on connected devices.
Follow the Action
For fans of the Nittany Lions unable to attend Sunday’s Big Ten Conference matchup and the 2024 regular season finale against the Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus, the match will stream live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+ and the B1G+ app. Greg Franke and Eric Vah will call the action live from the Jesse Owens Memorial 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 Ohio State University and StatBroadcast are available here.
KICKIN’ IT
Then-No. 16 Penn State dropped a narrow 2-1 decision to the Big Ten Conference leading and ninth-ranked USC Trojans last Sunday afternoon from Dignity Health Sports Park, the home venue and training facility of Major League Soccer’s LA Galaxy. On the final box score, USC came away with a 15-8 victory on the overall shot chart with five different Trojans amassing multiple-shot outings. The Trojans out-shot the Nittany Lions in terms of on-target opportunities by a slimmer 7-5 margin, and both teams amassed a grand total of 10 corner kicks, with five opportunities coming for each side. Individually, Penn State called on graduate midfielder Rowan Lapi to secure the 30th point of her collegiate career on Sunday, with the Reinholds, Pennsylvania, native converting her third penalty kick goal of the year to reach the 30-point scoring milestone.
Penn State boasts one of the strongest offensive units in all of women's college soccer, with the Blue & White ranking inside the top 30 nationally in total goals and total points. PSU has scored 37 goals in the 2024 campaign thus far, ranking first in an ultra-competitive Big Ten Conference and 23rd in the nation. PSU also boasts the most total points in the Big Ten alongside the 27th-most nationally with 107. Eighteen-year Nittany Lion head coaching veteran Erica Dambach was inducted into the Montco Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame this Thursday night, October 24, in a banquet and ceremony in East Norriton, Pennsylvania. Dambach led the Blue & White to the program's only national championship in the 2015 campaign. The Nittany Lion skipper has collected 325 career victories, highlighted by 285 at the helm in University Park.
LIVIN’ IN THE HALL OF FAME
Penn State women’s soccer head coach Erica Dambach was inducted into the Montco Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame Thursday evening. The Nittany Lion skipper joins an eight-member class recognizing individuals who were raised, worked, performed in and brought lasting fame to Montgomery County and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania through their contributions in and around athletics. One of the most impactful coaches in the nation at both the collegiate and U.S. Women’s National Team levels, Dambach enters the Montco Chapter’s Hall of Fame as one of the most decorated individuals across women’s soccer worldwide. Dambach owns 285 victories at Penn State through her first 18 years at the helm in Happy Valley, leading the Blue & White to the NCAA Tournament in every year of her tenure. Dambach led Penn State to its first national championship in the 2015 campaign, directing PSU to a 22-3-2 overall record, a Big Ten Tournament championship and the program’s fifth Women’s College Cup berth all-time.
Next Up: #21 Ohio State
BATTLING THE BUCKEYES
Under the direction of veteran head coach Lori Walker-Hock, Ohio State enters this weekend's regular season finale boasting a 10-4-3 overall record paired with a 5-3-2 record against Big Ten Conference competition, an identical league record to Penn State. Ohio State experienced the same road woes as the Nittany Lions a week ago, with the Buckeyes suffering a pair of West Coast setbacks against No. 9 USC and No. 10 UCLA by 1-0 margins in Los Angeles. OSU had won three of their prior four B1G tests in the two weeks before their trek to the City of Angels. On an individual basis, Kailyn Dudukovich has stolen the show for the Buckeyes in 2024, boasting a team-high 15 goals paired with 31 total points this season. Amanda Schlueter leads the way in the passing game with eight assists, while veteran shot-stopper Molly Pritchard boasts a 0.88 goals-against average with three shutouts.
STORY OF THE SERIES
In one of Penn State's longest running and most heavily contested rivalry series, the Nittany Lions and Buckeyes get set for their 36th all-time meeting. The Blue & White boast a dominant record against OSU, leading the series by a 25-9-2 margin since the inaugural meeting of the two programs in PSU's first varsity season in 1994. The Nittany Lions and Buckeyes have played relatively even on the pitch over the last five meetings, with both programs earning two wins apiece in addition to a draw in the COVID-maligned spring 2021 campaign, amounting to a 2-2-1 split over the last five fixtures. Penn State took last year's meeting in University Park by a 2-1 margin, utilizing a pair of scores from current Nittany Lion star Kaitlyn MacBean including a match-winning effort in the 88th.
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.