No. 3 Penn State women’s soccer fell to No. 2 UCLA 2-1 Saturday afternoon at Jeffrey Field.

The last time the Bruins visited State College was a 2006 loss to the Nittany Lions. The two programs are now tied 3-3-0 in the all-time series.

How It Happened

Neither team substituted a player until Kristin Schnurr entered the game for Frankie Tagliaferri in the 28th minute. UCLA All-American Hallie Mace missed the match after being called up by the U.S. for an international friendly.

Mace scored the game-winning goal in UCLA’s 1-0 victory over Long Beach State on Aug. 17. Fellow U.S. national team up-and-comer Ashley Sanchez wasted little time making an impact in her season debut, scoring early in the 29th minute less than 59 seconds after coming off the bench.

After Schnurr drew a hard foul in the box, Emily Ogle’s second penalty kick goal of the season provided the equalizer for the Nittany Lions late in the 30th minute.

At halftime, Penn State welcomed home scores of alumnae for the program’s celebration of its 25th anniversary as a varsity sport. The Blue Band also played a special show for the home crowd. 

UCLA took the lead again in the 70th minute when Delanie Sheehan’s long-range shot appeared to carry Amanda Dennis over the goal line by mere inches. The play stood after a lengthy video review.

“UCLA showed us what we need to work on going forward. It’s August and there were a lot of mistakes made, but there were some good things as well that I was really proud of,” head coach Erica Dambach said. “We cracked under pressure at times. Some of our builds were really good coming out of the back and some lacked ideas.”

The Bruins received four yellow cards in a chippy second half that saw Alina Ortega Jurado return from a scary collision with a bandaged head. Penn State captain Maddie Nolf had a rather frank reaction postgame to UCLA’s physicality.

“I don’t know. I think we’re more of a classy team,” Nolf said. “We try to stay calm and stay focused on the ultimate goal…but I do think we can get in a little bit harder. They came out and really showed us how to be aggressive and I think we can kind of give it back a little bit.”

Player of the Match

Ashley Sanchez | Forward

Despite playing with a heavily wrapped right arm, the sophomore from Monrovia, CA, delivered an instant spark for the Bruins. She was bitten by a dog recently, according to ESPNU’s broadcast.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions (2-1) travel to James Madison Thursday for a non-conference clash with the Dukes at 7 p.m.