Oct. 7, 2010
Northwestern (5-4-3, 1-1-1 Big Ten) vs. Penn State (3-7-1, 1-1-0)
Friday, Oct. 8 7 p.m.
Evanston, Ill. // Lakeside Field
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Gametracker: NUsports.com
In-game Twitter updates: @NU_SportsLIVE
Northwestern vs. Ohio State (8-2-1, 2-0-0)
Sunday, Oct. 10 2:30 p.m.
Evanston, Ill. // Lakeside Field
Gametracker: NUsports.com
In-game Twitter updates: @NU_SportsLIVE
The Weekend
Northwestern continues a three-game home stand this weekend with a pair of Big Ten battles. The 'Cats play host to Penn State on Friday night before welcoming the Buckeyes of Ohio State to Evanston on Sunday afternoon.
Last Time Out
The Wildcats battled Michigan and Mother Nature to a 1-1 draw last Saturday night at Lakeside Field. Strong northerly winds and a steady downpour made for miserable playing conditions. Jill Dunn put the Wildcats on the board in the first half with her second goal in three matches, but Michigan found the equalizer to force overtime. In the extra session, senior goalkeeper Carolyn Edwards made a brilliant save while down on the turf to preserve the tie and earn the Wildcats a conference point at home.
Scouting the Opponents
Winners of the last 12 Big Ten women's soccer titles, Penn State brings a 3-7-1 record to Evanston on Friday night. Among the elite women's soccer programs in the nation, the Nittany Lions have never posted more than eight losses in a single season. Penn State is led in scoring by Danielle Toney's four goals -- and has a trio of players who have tallied three scores each on the season as well. Sophomore Krissy Tribbett has started all 11 contests in goal for PSU in 2010 and brings a 1.43 goals-against average into the weekend.
Meanwhile, Ohio State enters the weekend red hot, having won eight of its last nine matches (the lone loss was a neutral-site contest against then-No. 19 Arizona State). The Buckeyes have outscored their opponents 21-6 on the season, and are led by reigning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week Paige Maxwell's four goals. Freshman goalkeeper Rachel Middleman has started every match for OSU in 2010 but has split overall time in the net with junior Katie Baumgardner.
Series Information
Northwestern trails the all-time series between both of the weekend's opponents. The Wildcats are 2-16 all-time against Penn State, with NU's last win in the series coming back in 1998. Northwestern has faired better against the Buckeyes but still trails that series, 6-9-1. The 'Cats are unbeaten (2-0-1) in their last three matches against OSU in Evanston, dating back to the 2003 season. Stephanie Foster's squad lost a heartbreaker to the Buckeyes in Columbus last season, allowing a 90th minute goal in a 1-0 defeat.
For more on this weekend's matches, download the Northwestern Game Notes (PDF)
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