No. 24 Penn State women’s soccer beat Iowa 2-0 Sunday afternoon at Jeffrey Field.

Charlotte Williams and Kristin Schnurr scored goals for the Nittany Lions, who improved to 3-2 in Big Ten play.

How It Happened

Neither team found the back of the net in the first half, and Iowa goalkeeper Claire Graves was a big reason why. The junior from Noblesville, IN had six saves before the intermission (nine total).

Schnurr and Shea Moyer earned assists on Williams’ goal in the 66th minute, which saw the senior midfielder spin around and drive a beautiful shot inside the top left of the cage.

Schnurr added some insurance in the 75th minute, corralling a cross from Williams and beating Graves to the bottom-right corner to make it 2-0. The Nittany Lions outshot the Hawkeyes 18-5.

“On her goal, I just looked up and we made eye contact,” Schnurr said of Williams’ strike. “She knew she was going to get the ball and she was going to do something. Her turn was just amazing. It was a great finish.”

Head coach Erica Dambach said she was pleased with her team’s more aggressive mentality in the attacking third against the Hawkeyes.

“Too often this team defines success as pretty soccer and keeping the ball,” she said. “I thought we were a little bit more cutthroat and a little bit more dangerous in that space.”

Player of the Match

Charlotte Williams | Midfielder

The Rochester, NY native’s third goal of the season secured the victory.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions (7-5) travel to Michigan State Friday for a 7 p.m. match against the Spartans.