Penn State women’s soccer advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament Friday on a bitter-cold night at Jeffrey Field thanks to its 7-0 win over Stony Brook.

In the first meeting between these two programs, the No. 3 seed Nittany Lions took care of the Seawolves with ease behind Laura Freigang’s first career hat trick.

How It Happened

Despite the harsh temperatures, three of Penn State’s starters — Elizabeth Ball, Kaleigh Riehl, and Megan Schafer — elected to forgo sleeves. It didn’t take long for the Nittany Lions to establish a 1-0 lead, as Freigang corralled a pass from Marissa Sheva in the 11th minute and scored the game’s first goal. But the German wasn’t close to being done.

In the 19th, Freigang tallied her fourth goal in the last three matches on a wide-open strike into the bottom left of the net. Schafer got credited with the assist on the play. In her third full match back from injury, senior forward Frannie Crouse made it 3-0 Nittany Lions in the 33rd. Freigang soon delivered her third goal of the night on a slick pass-back from Frankie Tagliaferri in the 38th.

Shot totals at the end of the intermission equaled 17-0 in Penn State’s favor. Even with a sizeable lead, Erica Dambach’s Nittany Lions continued to press in the second half, maintaining possession for most of the proceedings. Junior midfielder Charlotte Williams extended Penn State’s lead to 5-0 late in the 65th before Tagliaferri rounded out the scoring with two goals in 49 seconds.

Player Of The Match

Laura Freigang | Sophomore | Midfielder

Freigang now leads the team with eight goals on the season.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions (13-4-4) head to Morgantown next Friday to face Wake Forest at either 4 or 7 p.m.