MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – Penn State Harrisburg's women's soccer program has officially announced its schedule for the upcoming 2023 campaign.
The Lions are coming off a 2022 season that saw them win 13 games, earn 13 shutouts, and finish undefeated in United East play during the regular season. Penn State Harrisburg advanced to a third straight conference championship game and finished as the United East runners-up. The squad is set for 17 contests this fall, including eight home games, six conference matchups, and a number of highly-anticipated non-conference showdowns against some of the best teams in the nation.
"We have an extraordinary group of young women coming back with a small but very talented class coming in," said head coach Brandon West about the upcoming season. "I am excited to challenge ourselves against some of the most storied programs in the country, while playing multiple regionally-ranked opponents on top of that. This schedule will prepare us for a tough conference slate as we try to bring a United East Championship back to Middletown."
The season kicks off on the road against a traditionally-strong Roanoke squad on Friday night, Sept. 1 and continues the next evening with an away matchup against a Lynchburg program that won the NCAA Division III National Championship in 2014 and was regionally-ranked last fall. The Lions will host Bryn Mawr for the team's home opener under the lights on Sept. 6 before a road date with the 2021 national runners-up from TCNJ awaits three days later. Penn State Harrisburg welcomes a talented Shenandoah team to Middletown on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 16 before hitting the road on Sept. 27 for a primetime matchup against a Franklin & Marshall squad that was nationally ranked in each of the past two seasons.
October begins with a home game against Eastern and is highlighted by another home matchup with an Arcadia team that was regionally ranked for much of last season on Tuesday night, Oct. 10. In United East play, the Lions will begin with a road game at Gallaudet on Saturday, Sept. 23 before travelling to St. Mary's (Md.) for another key contest on Oct. 7. Senior Day is set for an Oct. 21 matchup with Penn State Abington before the regular season concludes with a showdown on the road against the defending conference champions from a regionally-ranked Penn State Berks squad on Tuesday night, Oct. 24.
Penn State Harrisburg will look to make a push for a conference championship when postseason action begins during the final weekend of October. The top teams from the soon-to-be merged United East and Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) will play for the conference title on Sunday, Nov. 5, with the winner earning an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament beginning a week later.
"We desire to compete and be one of the top teams in the country and this schedule confirms that we are not afraid of the challenge that comes with playing some of the best teams in the country," said West. "This group is ready for the gauntlet and we fully understand that to be respected on the regional and national level, we have to beat the best. We don't want to simply compete in these games, we want to win these games."
Fans can keep up with Penn State Harrisburg Athletics all season long on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube using the handle @pshbgathletics.