No. 19 Women’s Soccer Set to Host Rivalry Matchup with B1G-Leading Rutgers
Penn State welcomes border foe Scarlet Knights to Jeffrey Field for Friday night battle on B1G+
Rutgers at #19 Penn State
8-1-2 | 4-0-1 B1G
9-3-1 | 3-2-0 B1G
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 19 Penn State women's soccer returns to Big Ten Conference competition at home to open an eventful weekend in Happy Valley, as the Nittany Lions play host to the B1G-leading Rutgers Scarlet Knights in a 5 p.m. (ET) fixture from Jeffrey Field. The match will stream live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+, with streaming also available on connected devices via 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. Due to an event hosted inside the Bryce Jordan Center Friday evening, Penn State women’s soccer patrons are highly encouraged to prepay for parking via the ParkMobile app. To prepay for parking at a discounted rate, click here. Event day parking will be increased to $20 at the main entrance to the lot as a result of Friday night’s event at the BJC.
Friday’s contest against the Scarlet Knights will serve as the Penn State women’s soccer program’s annual Pink Match, with fans encouraged to wear pink to show their support in the race for a cure to Breast Cancer. The Nittany Lions will wear special warm-up shirts pre-match in support of their Breast Cancer Awareness mission. PSU will also welcome multiple alumnae back to Jeffrey Field, with a ceremony to honor Nittany Lion alums scheduled for the halftime intermission.
Follow the Action
For fans of the Nittany Lions unable to attend Friday night’s pivotal matchup in person, the Nittany Lions’ Big Ten Conference clash with Rutgers will stream live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+ and the B1G+ app. Jeremy Rose and Owen Cameros will call the action live from the Jeffrey Field press box, with Cailey Thalman reporting from the sideline. 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 Pennsylvania State University and StatBroadcast are available here.
KICKIN’ IT
Senior defender Mieke Schiemann clobbered a free kick from just outside the penalty area in the 16th minute, powering then-No. 15 Penn State to a solid 1-0 victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers in a physical affair on Sunday, September 29, from Hibner Stadium. One of the most intense physical matchups of the season saw the Blue & White weather the hometown crowd and an effective Nebraska attack en route to their third B1G win of the campaign. Nebraska took the win on the shot chart Sunday afternoon, making 17 attempts at the Nittany Lion net compared to just seven shots from PSU. In terms of on-target shots, however, Penn State edged the home side by a narrow 5-4 tally. Penn State played its opponent even in the corner kick competition yet again, matching the Huskers 4-for-4 in those opportunities.
Schiemann, a native of Berlin, Germany, turned in a dominant individual effort against the Cornhuskers highlighted by her third score of the 2024 campaign. The veteran center back has been a significant set piece threat for the Nittany Lions this season, contributing a pair of penalty kick goals prior to Sunday’s dominant strike in the first half against the Cornhuskers. On the defensive side of things, Schiemann tallied 90 minutes of work for the Blue & White on the back line, her seventh complete match showing of the year.
BEAM ME UP SCOTTY
Freshman midfielder Katie Scott earned a roster spot on Nittany Lion alumna Katie Schoepfer’s United States U17 Women’s Youth National Team squad ahead of the 2024 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in the Dominican Republic. Scott is one of just four collegiate student-athletes participating in the U17 Women’s Youth National Team roster this season, with the Nittany Lion joining North Carolina’s Trinity Armstrong, Alabama’s Maddie Padelski and Duke’s Mary Long. After battling her way through injury in the early portion of the 2024 regular season at Penn State, Scott made her collegiate soccer debut in the Nittany Lion Big Ten Conference opener against the Michigan Wolverines, setting season-bests in shots, shots on goal, total assists and minutes played in the league opener. The rookie midfielder chipped in with a pair of helpers in the dominant 6-0 rout of the Wolverines on Jeffrey Field and has since appeared in six total matches for the Blue & White, including all five Big Ten Conference contests to date.
Next Up: Rutgers
WRESTLING WITH RUTGERS
Led by Head Coach Mike O'Neill, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights conclude their three-match road trip with their final stop at Jeffrey Field, with the New Jersey-based side boasting an 8-1-2 start to the 2024 campaign. Rutgers most recently notched a 1-0 victory over the Michigan Wolverines on the road, followed by a dramatic 1-1 draw against then-No. 1 Michigan State in East Lansing. The Scarlet Knights boast one of the most dominant defensive units across all of women's college soccer, with Rutgers notching a stunning goals-against average of 0.273, which leads all B1G institutions while ranking third in Division I. Rutgers is once again led by returning senior forward Riley Tiernan, who boasts multiple All-B1G selections while leading the 2024 Scarlet Knight roster in total scoring with 13 points split between three goals and a B1G-best seven assists. Sophomore Olivia Bodmer handles the efforts between the pipes, notching 29 saves with eight wins this year.
STORY OF THE SERIES
In one of the most contentious rivalry series in the Penn State women's soccer record book, the Blue & White get set to go at the Scarlet Knights for the 26th time in program history, with PSU owning a narrow 12-9-4 record against Rutgers since the first all-time meeting in the inaugural Nittany Lion 1994 campaign. Over the last six fixtures in the all-time series, both squads have managed a trio of victories apiece, with the last draw coming in the 2017 campaign in Piscataway. PSU has booked victories in each of the last two fixtures, highlighted by an upset of then-No. 4 Rutgers on Jeffrey Field on September 22, 2022 to open B1G play. Last season's meeting at Yurcak Field saw the Nittany Lions battle for a gritty 2-1 victory on the road, utilizing first-half scores from Amelia White and Payton Linnehan to book the victorious result.
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.