Spartans Set for Sunday Matchup at No. 23 Penn State

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State women's soccer closes out the opening weekend of Big Ten play on the road at No. 23 Penn State on Sunday, Sept. 22, with kickoff set for 1 p.m. at Jeffrey Field.

LAST TIME OUT
MSU looks to bounce back after dropping a one-goal decision to Ohio State, 1-0, in the Big Ten season opener on the road, falling to 7-2-0 on the season and 0-1-0 in conference play.

The Spartans came out aggressive on the road in the Big Ten season opener and stayed toe-to-toe with the Buckeyes for a majority of the 90 minutes.

The only goal of the contest came in the 76^th minute, with Ohio State's Kayla Fischer firing a rocket from the top right corner of the box, giving Ohio State a one-goal advantage.

Michigan State brought energy to the pitch after being down a goal and looked to net an equalizer in the last 15 minutes of play, but were unable to convert.

WEBBER NAMED BIG TEN FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
After a three point performance last week (2g, 1a) in the Spartans' sweep of Bowling Green and Oakland, Webber was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Tuesday, Sept. 17.

This is the fifth time a Michigan State women's soccer player has won Big Ten Freshman of the Week since the conference office added the weekly award in 2009. The last Spartan to earn Big Ten Freshman of the Week was Hannah Jones on Oct. 4, 2016.

MICHIGAN STATE NOTES
MSU's seven non-conference wins are the most since 2011 when the team also went 7-1 in non-conference play to begin the season.

The Spartans have had seven different goal scorers through the first nine matches. The seven goal scorers tops last season's numbers, with there only being six goal scorer through all 18 games in 2018.

With an undefeated 5-0 record at home to start the season, the Spartans are off to their best start since the 2009 season when the team started 6-0 at DeMartin Stadium.

After not recording an overtime win in the past two seasons, MSU has two overtime wins in the first eight games. Michigan State is 2-0-0 in overtime games this season.

Through nine games, the Spartans have 20 total goals, which ties for 24th in the NCAA and second in the Big Ten. The 20 goals are already the most in a season since 2014 when the team scored 24 total goals.

SCOUTING THE NITTANY LIONS
The Nittany Lions hold a 21-5-0 all-time record over the Spartans through the first 25 meetings, outscoring MSU 56-22. Last season, Penn State won a one-goal decision in East Lansing, 2-1, on Oct. 5.

Penn State was picked as the preseason Big Ten favorite and has been selected to win the conference every season since 2003.

Senior Kaleigh Riehl and juniors Sam Coffey and Frankie Tagliaferri were named to the MAC Hermann Trophy watch list in August. The three Nittany Lions were all named first team All-Americans last season.

Redshirt-freshman midfielder Ally Schlegel leads PSU with six goals and one assist for 13 points through eight games.

The Nittany Lions are coming off a home loss to Michigan, 1-0, in the team's Big Ten opener. With the loss, No. 23 Penn State goes to 4-4-1 on the season, and 0-1-0 in conference play.

SAXTON SAYS

"This will be a tough test. Penn State still hasn't won in the conference as well so they're going to be looking to take care of business at home. The main thing is we have to show up and get ready with our best effort again.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Hannah Jones