What to know as Penn State men’s and women’s soccer head into the NCAA tournament

Both the Penn State men’s and women’s soccer teams are entering familiar territory this week as the two teams enter the NCAA tournament, but challenges lie ahead in both of their quests for titles.

The Penn State women kick off their NCAA campaign at 7 p.m. against Alabama State in Cary, North Carolina, while the men open their tournament against the University of Massachusetts at 1 p.m. Sunday in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Here is what to know, including key players and more, before each team embarks on their tournament runs:

PSU women looking to return to dominant form

After the women’s team suffered a 1-0 upset loss at the hands of Iowa on April 15 at home in the Big Ten Semifinals match — Penn State’s first defeat since its season opener against Rutgers — the Nittany Lions are determined to prove to the rest of the country that they can put the loss behind them and return to the same dominance that propelled them to a 9-1-1 regular season record.

The Penn State women have made the NCAA tournament each season of coach Erica Dambach’s 14-year tenure, winning it all in 2015. Dambach broke the season down into three phases on Tuesday: the regular season, the Big Ten tournament and NCAAs.

“I think in terms of our preparation, the Friday after the Iowa loss we brought the group together and had a really important meeting about what it was that we accomplished in the first two phases of the season,” Dambach said. “Obviously, we had a great regular season run, Big Ten tournament not as successful, but now we’re in a phase where this could be a bit of a longer stretch if we keep our focus on one day at a time and just understanding that we’ve put together some really good back-to-back performances. Now it’s about consistency. And, finally, I think it’s about playing with some joy again, I think we got a little tight and nervous during that tournament.”

Hornets looking to extend hot streak

Receiving an at-large bid to the 2020-21 NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Tournament on April 19, the Penn State women’s team is matched up against an Alabama State squad that has posted an 8-2-2 record up to this point.

The Hornets won the Southwestern Athletic Conference regular season title and later earned the conference’s automatic bid by defeating Grambling State in the SWAC tournament championship match. They boast a high-pressured offense that saw them outscore their opponents 29 goals to 19, and outshoot their opponents 133 to 115.

Alabama State is riding a hot streak, having won its past eight games. The Hornets have limited their opponents to less than one goal in six of those contests, including three shutouts.

Alabama State players to watch

Senior forwards Teaggan Ilela and McKenna Wiscombe are the players Penn State needs to keep an eye on the entire match. The pair are dangerous in the attacking zone, having posted 17 points, with 12 combined goals, this season.

Freshman goalkeeper Madison Roop has been sensational in her first campaign for Alabama State, proving she’s the real deal and the future for the Hornets in net for years to come. Roop produced an 8-1-2 record so far this season with a 1.54 goals against average and .734 save percentage. She’ll have to continue playing big-time in order for the Hornets to pull off an upset against Penn State.

“She’s a good solid goalkeeper, she’s faced a lot of shots and she’s proven to have both consistency as well as capable of making big saves,” Dambach said. “For us, I think we’ve gotta be smart with our shot selection and we gotta make sure once we get in and around that box, we make that one more pass so we can get into that goal area and make sure that we take advantage of not just getting into the final third, but being successful in that space.”

Penn State women’s players to watch

For the Blue and White, Ally Schlegel has been the go-to player to spark the offense. Her 11 goals and 27 points this season has earned her Big Ten Forward of the Year. Schlegel, along with Frankie Tagliaferri, who has seven goals and 23 points, have formed one of the most dangerous forward combos in the country.

Goalkeeper Katherine Asman will be making her 13th start in Wednesday’s game against the Hornets. She’ll have to fend off Alabama State’s potent offense in order to keep her program alive in the tournament. Asman is 9-1-1 up to this point and has posted a 0.85 goals against average with a .836 save percentage.

Penn State men looking to maximize opportunity

Penn State men’s soccer (8-1-2) earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament after falling in penalty kicks to Indiana in the Big Ten tournament championship. The Nittany Lions will be making their 34th overall NCAA tournament. The last time was in 2019, when they were defeated in overtime by Providence in the second round.

All games in the tournament will be held in the vicinity of Cary, North Carolina, in order to reduce travel and the number of different local health guidelines teams will have to navigate. Penn State’s third-year head coach Jeff Cook isn’t worried that COVID protocols will affect his team’s ability to perform at a high level.

“I believe that the team’s experience navigating COVID since 14 months ago, and all the things that have happened between then and now have prepared us to face significant challenges,” Cook said. “And this will be unusual being in the same state, we don’t have the opportunity to play at Jeffrey Field. But I think our team is very experienced at dealing with testing, dealing with safety protocols for COVID, and then celebrating the fact that when the whistle blows, we have a chance to play against another great team in UMass.

“I think we need to maximize that opportunity.”

What to look for with the Minutemen

UMass enters the game with a 7-1-3 record, most recently coming off a tie with No. 25 Virginia Tech. It hasn’t lost in its past four matches, with its last defeat coming on March 24 in double overtime against Fordham.

Alec Hughes is a player to watch out for, scoring seven goals and 16 points for the Minutemen so far this season. Right behind him is Filippo Begliardi Ghidini, with six goals. As a team, UMass has outscored its opponents 26 goals to 13, and has generated 17 more shots than its competition. The Minutemen are also an elite passing team, producing 22 assists on goals and limiting their opponents to only 12.

“I think it’s a team that believes in themselves, and when you look at the matchups in the first round, you see a lot of teams with very similar records that are competing against each other,” Cook said. “UMass is a team used to winning games and playing in big environments. So I think they’re a group of good athletes, they’re really well organized, and from what I can see in film, they really believe and are committed to what they do well.”

Marvyn Dorchin has started all eleven games in the net and is only allowing just over a goal per game this season at 1.09 to go with a .790 save percentage. He’s come up big at crucial times this year for the Minutemen, and his three shutouts prove he’s capable of shutting down opponents’ attacking.

What to look for from Penn State

Penn State has relied on a three-man attack for most of the season, those players being Daniel Bloyou, Peter Mangione and midfielder Pierre Reedy. All three have over five goals this season, with Bloyou leading the pack with seven. He scored two goals to help the Nittany Lions take down Ohio State in the Big Ten tournament, then scored another crucial goal in the team’s win over Michigan in the next game.

Sophomore Kris Shakes has taken his game to a whole new level this season in net for Penn State, as many anticipated he would after concluding a 2019 campaign in which he was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team. In nine starts this season, he’s allowing a .85 goals against average with a .789 save percentage to pair with three shutouts.

With a victory on Sunday, the Nittany Lions would improve to 29-32-1 all time in the tournament and then face the winner of the first-round matchup between defending champions Georgetown and High Point.

This story was originally published April 27, 2021 at 8:52 PM.