MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 6-ranked West Virginia University women's soccer team plays host to top-ranked Penn State this Saturday, Sept. 2, at 7 p.m., at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.
 
Saturday night is a Gold Rush, and fans are encouraged to wear gold in support of the Mountaineers. Additionally, NCAA College Cup replica rings will be given to the first 1,000 fans in attendance. It's also Camper Reunion Night, and free admission will be given to youths who wear their 2017 camp t-shirt.
 
Tickets are on sale now HERE and also will be available for purchase at the stadium ticket office. Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for youths under 13 and senior citizens and $2 for groups of 10 or more. WVU students are admitted free with a valid WVU Student I.D.
 
To provide a safer environment for Mountaineer fans and to expedite entry into all ticketed WVU athletic events, the West Virginia Department of Intercollegiate Athletics enforces the NFL's Clear Bag Policy. The athletic department invites and encourages fans to visit WVUsports.com/clearbag for more information, to view pictures of permissible and non-permissible items and to obtain answers to frequently asked questions about the clear bag policy.
 
"Penn State always brings their best. They're No. 1 in the country right now, and we respect and understand what this game means," Mountaineer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown said. "It's not hard to motivate a team. From a coaching standpoint, we know what Penn State is going to bring, and we wish we had three weeks to prepare instead of three days. You build a season up to play a No. 1 team in the country. The girls are motivated – it's just a matter of us clicking at the right time when you get a team like Penn State this early."
 
Saturday is the Mountaineers' (2-1) third match against a top-10 team in as many weeks. PSU (3-0) is the first No. 1-ranked squad to visit Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium and the first top-ranked team to travel to Morgantown since 2000, when WVU fell to No. 1 Notre Dame, 2-1, on Sept. 22, at the Mountaineer Soccer Complex.
 
Dating back to 2005, WVU is 1-2 against No. 1-ranked teams, with the lone victory a 1-0 win over Stanford on Aug. 26, in University Park, Pennsylvania. The Mountaineers are 18-13-3 against top-10 teams in that time span and 29-29-10 against all ranked opponents.
 
Saturday is the 16th all-time meeting between the schools, with PSU owning a 7-6-2 all-time series edge. The teams have played in four overtime matches, including the last meeting, a 1-1 (2OT) draw in University Park, on Aug. 19, 2016. Laura Freigang put the Nittany Lions on the board in the 51st minute, and forward Michaela Abam earned the equalizer in the 77th minute. Making her first career start, Rylee Foster finished with a career-best nine saves. WVU is 0-2-2 in extra time against PSU.
 
In their last meeting in Morgantown, WVU grabbed a 1-0 victory on Sept. 4, 2015, off a goal from Amanda Hill in the eighth minute.
 
"I hope they are buzzing about the high level of play and different experiences they've had against Penn State," Izzo-Brown said of her senior leaders. "Penn State is going to come at us, and they are going to want this game as much as we want it. I don't think there's ever been an easy game against Penn State."
 
WVU takes the field following a 3-0 win over Duquesne on Aug. 27, in Morgantown. Three different Mountaineers scored, including junior forward Hannah Abraham, who tallied the game-winner in the 10th minute. Abraham's career goal count stands at nine, with six of the scores, including the last five, going own as game-winners.
 
Junior defender Bianca St. Georges paces the team with four points (1 G, 2 A). Foster shows a 0.63 goals-against average (GAA) and has posted two clean sheets this season, moving her career total to 10.
 
PSU last played on Aug. 25, a 4-2 win at Arkansas. Junior midfielder Marissa Sheva tallied two goals, including the game-winner in the 55th minute. She ranks No. 13 nationally with a 2.67 points-per-game average. The Nittany Lion offense has scored at least three goals in each match this season, with seven coming in the second half.
 
Junior Rose Chandler made two saves at Arkansas and ranks No. 147 nationally with a 1.029 GAA.