University Park, Pa. -- The Nittany Lion women's soccer team heads to Piscataway, N.J., for a Friday-night match-up with Rutgers. Penn State is coming off a 4-1 win with a balanced scoring effort and good defense against Hofstra this past Sunday. The Rutgers match begins at 7 p.m. Gametracker will be available for the match at http://GoPSUsports.com online.
LIONS CONTINUE NON-CONFERENCE MATCH-UPS WITH SCARLET KNIGHTS, BISON
After their Friday match at Rutgers, 10-time defending Big Ten champion Penn State hosts Bucknell at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 7. A familiar foe for Penn State, the Bison also saw their last action in Piscataway, dropping a 4-1 decision on Aug. 31 to Rutgers.
The Bucknell game is the last of a triple-header at Jeffrey Field Sunday. Sunday's games start early as the Nittany Lion men's soccer team opens its 2008 home schedule this weekend by welcoming Ohio State, Bucknell and Tulsa to Jeffrey Field for the annual Penn State Classic. Sunday's tournament games will pit Ohio State men's soccer versus Tulsa (noon) and the Penn State men's soccer team against Bucknell (3:30 p.m.) followed by the women's game at 6 p.m. Admission to all home men's and women's soccer games is free. After the Bucknell match, the Nittany Lions hit the road for the UCONN Tournament, which will take place on Sept. 12 and Sept. 14. Penn State meets Brown at 5 p.m. Sept. 12 to begin tourney action and then plays host Connecticut on Sunday, Sept. 14.
THREE NITTANY LIONS ON M.A.C. HERMANN TROPHY PRESEASON LIST
The watch list for the Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy has been announced and among the 47 top women's Division I soccer players were three Nittany Lions. Redshirt-senior Zoe Bouchelle (Cockeysville, Md.), junior Alyssa Naeher (Seymour, Conn.) and junior Katie Schoepfer (Waterford, Conn.) all were named to the list. Penn State was one of only three schools to have three players named to the list. Included in that elite group was defending National Champions USC and North Carolina.
These selections mark the ninth consecutive year that a Nittany Lion has been on the preseason watch list for the nation's top player. Since 2000, a Penn State player has been the runner-up for the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy five times.
A DECADE OF DOMINANCE
The Nittany Lions have won 10-straight Big Ten titles dating back to the 1998 season. Over that same span they have only lost six Big Ten games going 89-6-4 in conference play. They enter the 2008 season as favorites once again with hopes of attaining that 11th championship. The championship streak is tied for the second longest in Big Ten women's championship history with a current string of women's tennis championships at Northwestern. Michigan women's swimming & diving leads all-time with 12.
NITTANY LIONS PICKED TO FINISH FIRST
The Penn State women's soccer team has been voted to finish at the top of the Big Ten in 2008 by the conference coaches, as announced by the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions are entering the 2008 season on a quest for their 11th consecutive Big Ten Title. This selection marks the sixth-straight year that the Nittany Lions have been tabbed preseason favorites by the Big Ten coaches.