Penn State looks to continue its win streak against Michigan

The Penn State Nittany Lions have won nine games straight as they hit the midpoint of their season. They are one of just four programs in Division 1 soccer to never trail a match this season. To add to the numerous accolades, the blue and white have posted seven home shutouts this season, they’re ranked fourth in the country and have only given up one goal at home all season.

The Nittany Lions are now 9-0-1 on the season and 3-0 in conference play. Their most recent win came against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in a gritty-not-pretty matchup on a very rainy Sunday.

The spotlight shone on the defense of both teams as the rain made it hard to maintain good ball control moving forward. Goalkeeper Katherine Asman had five saves on the night and was key in getting the win for the blue and white.

The lone goal in the contest came in the 81st minute. Eva Alonso, Kate Wiesner and Cori Dyke lined up for a free kick that Dyke rifled into the back of the net to put the Nittany Lions up 1-0.

Penn State now hits the road to face two tough conference opponents, the Michigan Wolverines and the Michigan State Spartans.

Michigan is currently ranked No. 22 and has posted a 6-2-2 record overall. The Wolverines most recently suffered a 2-1 loss on the road to the Illinois Fighting Illini. If Penn State wants to be successful against Michigan, they’ll have to manage Sammi Woods up top. Woods has five goals and 11 points on the season.

The last time the Wolverines and Nittany Lions faced off, Penn State put up a shutout win. Historically, the blue and white have handled Michigan soundly going 26-7-7 in all-time meetings. They will clash again on Thursday.

Next, the Nittany Lions will head to East Lansing where they will battle it out with the Michigan State Spartans. The Spartans have started their season 7-2-2 overall and 2-0-1 in the conference.

The green and white are coming off a shutout win over Wisconsin on the road. This marked the first time Michigan State had beaten the Badgers on the road since 1999. The Spartans started the contest off strong, scoring in the opening ten minutes, but didn’t record a single shot on net through the entirety of the second half.

Bella Najera is a force for the green and white up top, scoring five goals and recording an assist so far this year.

The Spartans will face Maryland on Thursday before taking on the Nittany Lions on Sunday.

Cailey Thaman is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, please email cmt6182@psu.edu.