Indiana University
#23 Rutgers
IU Readies for No. 23 Rutgers, No. 11 Penn State
10/7/2015 11:06:00 AM | Women's Soccer
THIS WEEK
Thursday, Oct. 8 - Indiana (3-5-5, 0-2-3 B1G) at No. 23 Rutgers (9-2-1, 2-2-1 B1G)
7 p.m. | Piscataway, N.J.
Coverage: Watch | Live Stats
Sunday, Oct. 11 - Indiana at No. 11 Penn State (8-2-2, 3-1-1 B1G)
1 p.m. | University Park, Pa.
Coverage: Watch - GoPSUSports.com (free) | Live Stats
SQUARING UP AGAINST THE SCARLET KNIGHTS
Ranked 23rd in the country by NSCAA, Rutgers sits at a 9-2-1 record with a 2-2-1 conference mark. The Scarlet Knights finished the non-conference season at a perfect 7-0 and had an eight-game winning streak snapped against Illinois on Sept. 24, which was followed by a 1-0 loss to Northwestern on Sept. 27. Big Ten wins for Rutgers include a pair of 1-0 victories against Maryland and Michigan State. Last time out, Rutgers tied Michigan, 1-1, on Sunday afternoon. The Scarlet Knights are led in scoring by Colby Ciarrocca and Cassie Inacio, who have both found the back of the net three times. Samantha Valliant and Rachel Cole have each scored twice for Rutgers, while six others have registered at least one goal. Casey Murphy has played every minute of the season in goal, collecting 37 saves with a 0.33 goals against average.
Indiana and Rutgers have met only once before - a 1-0 Scarlet Knights victory last season in New Jersey.
PLAYING PENN STATE
No. 11 Penn State is off to a 3-1-1 Big Ten start and an 8-2-2 overall mark. Conference victories for the Nittany Lions include Wisconsin, Iowa and Northwestern. Penn State lost a 1-0 decision to Minnesota and tied Nebraska, 1-1. Mallory Weber and Frannie Crouse have each scored six goals on the year, while Megan Schafer has added five. In total, 10 Nittany Lions have combined to score 26 goals this year with four assists apiece to Weber and Charlotte Williams. Britt Eckerstrom has started all 12 games this year, making 31 saves with a 0.59 goals against average.
Indiana and Penn State have previously met 24 times with the lone Hoosier win coming in 1996. The teams battled to a 0-0 draw in 2006 in Bloomington.
LAST TIME OUT
The Hoosiers played just one contest last week, hosting Iowa on Saturday night. Indiana put up a season-high 20 shots, including nine on frame, but the two teams battled to a scorless draw in double overtime.
NEWS AND NOTES
•Sophomore Kayla Smith hails from Green Lane, Pa., which is about three hours from University Park, and is playing at Penn State for the first time in her career.
• Freshman Justine Lynn, who had battled back from an injury, made her first career appearance against Wisconsin on Sept. 25 before making her first career start against Minnesota on Sept. 27. The Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich. native made her first start at home on Saturday night.
STONE'S CAREER YEAR
Goalkeeper Sarah Stone has registered a career-high six shutouts this season, bringing her career total to 14, just one behind the Indiana program record (15 by Ashley Davis, 1996-99). In addition, the redshirt senior has recorded 164 career saves, which ranks sixth in IU program history. Stone is currently second in the conference with 56 saves on the year.
PUTTING IN OVERTIME
To this point, Indiana has played in six overtime contests this season, which is the most since the 2007 team played in eight. Five of Indiana's OT games have resulted in ties, while a sixth resulted in a 1-0 victory against Baylor in the first OT period on Aug. 30. Indiana's five ties this season are the most since the 1999 team registered six. The Hoosiers have had five of six home games result in double overtime ties.
TIME CHANGE FOR OCT. 25
Indiana's Oct. 25 battle at Michigan State has been moved from a 1 p.m. start to 3 p.m. The game will now be shown live on the Big Ten Network, meaning all remaining IU contests will be broadcasted on BTN's platforms.
TEAM EARNS ACADEMIC AWARD
For the fourth straight year, Indiana was recognized by The National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) for excellence in the classroom. Indiana was one of just 208 schools to have both the women and men's team earn the award.
