No. 9 Nittany Lions Host Northwestern in Return to B1G Play – Penn State

KICKIN’ IT

The Nittany Lions return to Big Ten Conference play following a solid 2-1 victory over the Ivy League’s Columbia Lions on Senior Day presented by the Penn State Alumni Association last Sunday, September 15. PSU utilized a score in the run of play from senior midfielder Jordan Fusco to take an early 1-0 lead, while senior defender Mieke Schiemann provided what became the match-winner from the penalty spot minutes later. The win over Columbia brought Penn State’s overall season record to 7-1-1 overall, with the Nittany Lions wielding a 1-0-0 start to the Big Ten Conference season following a 6-0 thrashing of the Michigan Wolverines on Thursday, September 12 on Jeffrey Field. PSU’s 6-1-1 non-conference record stands as one of the program’s strongest marks in recent memory, with the Blue & White facing off against five opponents that were either ranked or receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches poll at the time of the match.

Schiemann secured the third Big Ten Conference weekly accolade of her collegiate career this week, earning B1G Defensive Player of the Week distinction in the league office’s weekly release Tuesday, September 17. The Berlin, Germany, native poured in a pair of goals highlighted by her match-winning Senior Day PK against Columbia, while helping anchor PSU’s back line in the team’s fifth shutout of the year against Michigan. The NCAA released its first RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) of the 2024 season on Monday, September 16, with the Nittany Lions garnering the No. 6 placement in the organization’s first release of the year. PSU sits as the third-highest ranked team in the Big Ten Conference, which stands as the strongest RPI league across all of Division I women’s soccer.

FUN WITH THE RPI

Penn State stands as the nation’s No. 6 team in the first release of the NCAA RPI (ratings percentage index), one of the most critical tools used in determining seeding and selection for the NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Tournament. The RPI ranks teams based on wins, losses and strength of schedule. RPI is formulated by including a team’s winning percentage, the winning percentage of the team’s opponents, and the winning percentage of the team’s opponent’s opponents. The Nittany Lions maintain an RPI value of 0.695, trailing the nation’s top five RPI programs in Michigan State, Florida State, Auburn, North Carolina and Ohio State. Penn State maintains the No. 3 spot in the nation’s premier women’s soccer conference. The Big…