Week 6 Preview: No. 7 Penn State | Ohio State

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THE MATCH-UP
The University of Iowa soccer team opens Big Ten Conference action with a pair of matches this weekend at the Iowa Soccer Complex. The Hawkeyes take on No. 7 Penn State (6-2-0, 2-0-0) Friday at 7 p.m. (CT) and Ohio State (6-2-1, 1-1-0) on Sunday at 1 p.m. Admission is free to both contests. 
 
WATCH/FOLLOW LIVE
• Live stats for both contests will be available on hawkeyesports.com by visiting the Iowa soccer schedule page.
• Friday’s match will be streamed live on BTN Plus on BTN2Go, while Sunday’s contest will be televised live on BTN.
• Fans can follow the Iowa soccer program on Twitter (@HawkeyeSoccer) for live in-game updates.

 THE SERIES
• Penn State leads the all-time series, 22-2. In 2013, the Hawkeyes defeated the Nittany Lions twice, posting a 3-2 victory in Iowa City before claiming a 1-0 victory in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament.  
• The Buckeyes lead the all-time series, 13-6-1.  Iowa’s last win came on the road in 2014. Then sophomore Corey Burns picked up an assist in that game. 

 A LONG BREAK
Iowa returns to action Friday following a 12-day break in the schedule.  The Hawkeyes haven’t played since facing Loyola Chicago on Sept. 10.  The Sept. 15 matchup against Nebraska was postponed; a makeup date has yet to be announced.

HAT TRICK X 2
Heading into the 2017 season, Iowa hadn’t tallied a hat trick since 2003.  In seven games, the Hawkeyes have two hat tricks — one by sophomore Kaleigh Haus (vs. Richmond) and one by sophomore Devin Burns (vs. Southern Utah).

SCOUTING No. 7 PENN STATE
• Penn State moved up one spot in the rankings this week after defeating Northwestern (3-0) and Illinois (1-0) last weekend in University Park.
• The Nittany Lions have outscored opponents, 18-8, this season with 10 different players finding the back of the net. Emily Ogle and Marissa Sheva lead the way with four goals a piece. 
• Penn State ranks third in conference goals (18), fourth in assists per game (2.38), and are tied for third in assists (19). 

SCOUTING OHIO STATE
• Ohio State is 6-2-1 on the season after opening conference play with a split, routing Illinois (7-0) and falling 1-0 to Northwestern.
• The Buckeyes lead the Big Ten in assists (24). They are second in points (66) and assists per game (2.67) and tied for second in shots (9).
• Goalkeeper Devon Kerr has three shutouts this season, bringing her total to five over three seasons in goal.

RECORDS, RECORDS, WE LIKE RECORDS
• The Hawkeyes are leading the Big Ten in assists per game (2.71) and rank third in goals (17) and assists per game (19).
• Iowa tied a single-game goals record in its 8-1 victory over Southern Utah on Aug. 31.  It was the third time in program history the team scored eight goals in a game and the first since 1998 during the program’s second season.
• Sophomore Devin Burns tied a pair of individual single-game records in the triumph over Southern Utah.  The forward tallied the eighth hat trick in school history, tying the goals record, and she added an assist to become the third Hawkeye — first since 2003 — to finish with seven points in a match.
• Sophomore Natalie Winters tied a single-game assists record in Iowa’s 5-1 victory at Richmond. She is the fourth Hawkeye to accomplish the feat.

B1G LEADERS
• The Hawkeyes are leading the Big Ten in assists per game (2.71) and third in goals (17) and assists per game (19).
• Sophomores Devin Burns and Olivia Fiegel are tied for third in the league in goals (5) and goals per game (.710).  
• Burns is also fourth in the conference in points (12) and third points per game (1.71). She is also tied for third in game-winning goals (2).  
• Sophomore Natalie Winters is tied for second in the Big Ten in assists (5) and assists per game (.710). 

QUICK HITTERS
• The Hawkeyes rank in the top 25 nationally in assists per game (14th), points per game (17th), and scoring offense (22nd). 
• Iowa’s eight goals, 10 assists, and 26 points against Southern Utah on Aug. 31 are high-water marks in the Big Ten this season.
• Sophomore Claire Graves posted her third shutout of the season — and seventh of her career — in Iowa’s 1-0 win over Montana.  Graves is 5-2 with 20 saves and a 1.08 goals against average in 2017.
• Senior Karly Stuenkel, junior Rose Ripslinger, and sophomore Natalie Winters were named to the Big Ten Preseason Honors List.  Stuenkel is Iowa’s 2017 team captain.

UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes hit the road for two matches, beginning with a Sept. 29 contest at Michigan before closing out the weekend at Michigan State on Oct. 1.

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