No. 24 Northwestern Hosts 12th-ranked Penn State Sunday

No. 24 NORTHWESTERN WOMEN'S SOCCER: GAME DAY INFORMATION
DATE	OPPONENT	TIME	LOCATION	AUDIO	LIVE STATS
Sunday, Oct. 4	No. 12 Penn State	12 p.m. (CST)	Bridgeview, Ill. (Toyota Park)	WNURSports.com	SideArm
Social: Twitter (@NUWSoccer and @NU_SportsLive) \| Instagram (@NUWSoccer) \| Facebook 2015 Northwestern Women's Soccer Record Book

EVANSTON, Ill. – Chicago's Big Ten Team returns home to Toyota Park for the final match of its three-game homestand against No. 12 Penn State.

Sunday's match can be followed with live stats on NUSports.com and audio will be provided at WNURSports.com. Scoring updates will be provided on the @NU_SportsLIVE twitter account and fans are encouraged to follow the 'Cats on social media for the most up to date news and content.

SCOUTING PENN STATE
• The Nittany Lions are 7-2-2 on the year and 2-1-1 in Big Ten play
• The Penn State women's soccer team currently ranks second in the NCAA RPI, eighth in the TopDrawerSoccer Poll, 12th in the NSCAA Coaches' Poll and 13th in the Soccer America Top-25 Poll.
• Mallory Webber leads PSU with 14 points (5g, 4a), while two other Nittany Lions have registered double-digit points.

LAST TIMEOUT: Michelle Manning scored a 70th-minute goal to lead Northwestern to a 1-0 upset victory over top-seeded and national No. 6 Penn State in the first round of the 2014 Big Ten Tournament. The win was Northwestern's first in the Tournament since 1997, and their first over perennial national power Penn State since 1998. It marked just the third loss for the Nittany Lions during the 2014 season, who defeated the 'Cats 4-1 earlier in the season.

WILD FACTS: NU'S TOP STORYLINES, STREAKS & TRENDS

NATIONALLY RANKED
orthwestern has been tabbed No. 24 in the latest NSCAA Division I Women's National Poll released on Sept. 29. The Wildcats are also the third-best team in the Great Lakes region behind Big Ten foes No. 11 Minnesota and 13th-ranked Penn State.

Chicago's Big Ten Team also made its way into the Soccer America polls and checked in at No. 22.

This is the first national ranking for the Wildcats under head coach Michael Moynihan and the first since 2010, when the team was ranked 14th in the Soccer America poll. Northwestern has not appeared in the NSCAA polls since 1998 when the squad went 16-5-1 with a trip to the NCAA Sweet 16.

BALANCED ATTACK
Nine Wildcats have registered goals so far this year. Junior Addie Steiner leads NU with 12 points (4g, 4a) through 12 matches. Sophomore Michelle Manning and Nandi Mehta, meanwhile, pace the Wildcats with two game-winners a piece. Mehta's most recent game winning goal came in the 94^th minute against then-No.11 Rutgers. Also boasting two goals are senior Niki Sebo and sophomore Maria Fayeulle.

NCAA RPI REPORT
The NCAA released its second RPI report on Monday and the Northwestern women's soccer team checked in at an impressive No. 19 in the country. Six Big Ten teams currently sit among the top 30.

RPI, or Ratings Percentage Index, is a metric used by the NCAA to rank teams based upon wins and losses within a team's strength of schedule. The ranking takes into account opponents' winning percentages and the winning percentages of those opponents' opponents to calculate how strong a team's record is against the strength of the teams they have faced.

BETWEEN THE PIPES
Sophomore Lauren Clem has been a solid presence for the Wildcats' defense this year, playing every minute of the 2015 season. So far this year, she has helped anchor the squad to eight shutouts, including three to start the season. Clem has six shutouts and a 0.32 goals-against average - good for fifth in the country. She has made 32 saves for a .889 save percentage to sit seventh among NCAA DI teams, and has given up just four goals all year.

In 2014, Clem registered a .810 GAA, the best average in a single season in Northwestern program history.

NON-CONFERENCE WRAP UP
The Wildcats opened their 2015 slate with three-straight shutout victories against North Dakota, Valparaiso and Boston University to mark the best start in program history. Northwestern continued play with a 1-0 loss at the hands of Santa Clara on the road, before rebounding with a 1-0-1 weekend at Toyota Park and a 2-0 weekend to close out its non-conference schedule in the Centennial State. Chicago's Big Ten Team claimed a 2-1 victory over Colorado State before closing out its non-conference schedule with a 1-0 overtime win over Pac-12 opponent Colorado.

COACHES CORNER
Now in his fourth season at Northwestern, head coach Michael Moynihan will utilize a mix of experience and newcomers for the 2015 season with starters from last year returning along with the addition of 11 freshmen. This group of newcomers is the largest incoming class since Moynihan's arrival in 2012. The team's top two goal-scorers from last season – Addie Steiner and Michelle Manning – will be back for the Wildcats in 2015.

Moynihan owns a 26-33-10 overall record during his tenure in Evanston and a 9-24-4 mark in Big Ten play.

STUNNING STEINER
Steiner, who was named to the 2014 All-Big Ten second team, returned to the pitch after an impressive sophomore campaign. Last year, the Prairie Village, Kansas, native led the team in goals with a career-high 10, including a team-best four game winning goals.

So far this year, Steiner has started in all 12 matches and currently leads the 'Cats with 12 points (4g, 4a). She registered goals against North Dakota and Boston University, and provided an assist to the game-winning golden goal against Colorado. Last weekend she scored a brace to lead the Wildcdats past Maryland, 2-0.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME
Northwestern will play seven home contests at Toyota Park - home of Major League Soccer's Chicago Fire - one home match at Evanston Township and one contest at New Trier HS while renovations continue on Lanny & Sharon Martin Stadium through the fall. The Wildcats are unbeaten (5-0-1) at "home" this year.

B1G PLAYERS TO WATCH
Three retuning Wildcats were recently named to the Big Ten preseason Players to Watch List including fifth-year senior midfielder, Nike Sebo senior midfielder Margo McGinty and Steiner.

OH CAPTAIN(S), MY CAPTAIN(S)
Sebo and senior Nandi Mehta will serve as captains for the 2015 squad. Mehta, a two-time captain logged over 1,700 minutes during the 2014 season and registered a goal and two assists. She has started in every game so far this season.

Now in her final year at Northwestern, Sebo has been a steady presence for Northwestern's midfield, playing in 68 matches during her tenure in Evanston. Last season, Sebo logged 1,810 minutes and registered a goal and three assists. The fifth-year senior scored the game-winning goal against Saint Louis on Aug. 7, and registered the Wildcats only goal against Indiana.

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No. 24 Northwestern Hosts 12th-ranked Penn State Sunday

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Players Mentioned

Michelle Manning

Nandi Mehta

Northwestern University Athletics