No. 11 Penn State women’s soccer lost to No. 6 Virginia 2-1 on a rainy Sunday afternoon at Jeffrey Field.

Kristin Schnurr scored the lone goal for Erica Dambach’s Nittany Lions. The undefeated Cavaliers have now outscored their opponents 22-3 this season.

How It Happened

Brianna Westrup gave Virginia an early advantage in the sixth minute, floating a perfectly timed volley over Penn State goalkeeper Amanda Dennis.

Penn State nearly broke through late in the 27th minute, but Frankie Tagliaferri’s shot sailed high over the crossbar. Not long after, Virginia midfielder Montana Sutton received the match’s lone yellow card. The Cavaliers finished with 15 fouls to Penn State’s 11 in a chippy contest.

Ellie Jean showcased her toughness when she popped back up following a hard challenge deep in Virginia territory a few minutes later. Kaleigh Riehl’s header in the 37th minute hit the post and deflected away from Virginia goalkeeper Laurel Ivory, who’s been a regular starter for the U.S. youth national teams.

Rebecca Jarrett’s third goal of the season gave the Cavaliers a 2-0 lead in the 40th minute. Schnurr finally broke through for the Nittany Lions in the 74th minute with her third goal in the last four matches. Kerry Abello and Alina Ortega Jurado earned assists on the play.

Schnurr was injured on a collision with Ivory five minutes later, but thankfully she walked off under her own power. Ortega Jurado nearly tied things up twice down the stretch, but both of her shots barely missed the net.

“Unfortunately, those were two really good soccer teams and not a whole lot of soccer broke out, and that’s a shame,” Dambach said of the adverse conditions. “But you’ve got to adjust, and they adjusted better than we did.”

Player of the Match

Brianna Westrup | Defender

The Corona del Mar, CA, native ensured Penn State was playing catch-up all afternoon.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions (4-3) open Big Ten play this coming Friday at 6 p.m. when they welcome Ohio State to Jeffrey Field.