Penn State women's soccer welcomes Rutgers in Pink Match showdown

The No. 19 Penn State Nittany Lions are set to face off against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights for the annual Pink Match at 5 p.m. at Jeffrey Field.

The Scarlet Knights are coming into this match with a record of 8-1-2, but despite an eight-match unbeaten streak and a 4-0-1 record in the Big Ten so far, they remain just outside of the Top 25 in the NCAA Coaches Poll.

In their most recent match, Rutgers held the No. 1 Michigan State Spartans to a 1-1 draw. The Spartans have the No. 1 offense in the Big Ten, scoring 30 goals in just 12 matches, But the Scarlet Knights defense is arguably even more impressive, allowing just three goals in 11 games.

Penn State’s leader in goals and points Kaitlyn MacBean will have a tough test ahead of her, facing the likes of a back line that includes seniors Kassidy Banks, Emily Mason and freshman Claire Hammil.

Mieke Schiemann was the lone goal scorer last game at Nebraska, and while she leads the back line for the Nittany Lions, we have seen her increasingly join the attack acting as a central outlet to reset the offense when they don't have a great pass down the wing or directly into the box.

We have also seen her attempting some aggressive over-the-top through balls to try to find MacBean and Jordan Fusco on runs and in counter-attacking situations, so potentially look for that from the Nittany Lions if possession is hard to maintain against such a stubborn Rutgers defense.

The Scarlet Knights’ leading scorers are Allie Post and Riley Tiernan, but their well-rounded attack has proven that not just one or two players are driving the results for the Scarlet Knights.

They have nine players who have scored at least one goal this year and five different players with multiple goals.

Another potential key factor in this match will come down to the set-piece situations. While the Nittany Lions were outshot last Sunday versus Nebraska, It was a free kick just outside the box that allowed the Nittany Lions to break through and open up the scoring.

The little battles within the game, such as corner kicks, foul differential and time of possession will also be crucial in determining the outcome of this game.

While possession isn't a statistic that is tracked in NCAA women's soccer in terms of time on the ball, Penn State coach Erica Dambach and Rutgers coach Mike O’Neill are both extremely conscious of how each other teams will attempt to dictate the pace of the game by their style of possession.

It will be interesting to see how both of these sides come out to start this game, will Penn State look to move the ball quickly on offense, emphasizing the counter-attack, or will they take a slower approach out of the gates facing an elite defense?

It certainly depends on how aggressive the Rutgers defensive pressure is, but if we see them pressing high to the ball early, look for Dambach to emphasize the quick aggressive style of counterattack that has led to a lot of early goals for the Nittany Lions.

For Rutgers, I think given their defensive identity, they might attempt to play a more methodical slow build-up on the offensive side of the ball, valuing possession and not taking as many risky chances.

That attacking strategy would focus on building from the back, and wearing down the Penn State team by forcing a higher pressure rate, only taking the best passes available.

To counter this, Penn State must maintain a high motor on the defensive side of the ball and communicate efficiently to make sure all Scarlet Knights are marked in their defensive half.

Both sides are looking to build momentum in their Big Ten campaigns, and a win tonight would go a long way in building that confidence as we are less than a month away from the Big Ten tournament.

Carson Schuler is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism, to contact him please email cts5357@psu.edu.