Penn State women’s soccer (10-3-2) beat Michigan (6-7-3) in a 3-0 shutout Sunday afternoon at Jeffrey Field.

Early goals from Ally Schlegel in both halves, a rocket shot from Kaitlyn MacBean, and great offensive play from the Nittany Lions drove Penn State to the win over the Wolverines. The matchup against the Wolverines showcased how put together Erica Dambach’s squad is.

In the win, Schlegel recorded her 100th career point.

How It Happened

The Nittany Lions began the game by building up their midfield possession. Their offensive play was built carefully, and it paid off when facing Michigan’s defensive line.

Penn State took the first goal of the match in the sixth minute. Ellie Wheeler received the ball from Kate Wiesner along the sideline and made a beautiful cross into the box. Ally Schlegel was there for the header and brought the Nittany Lions up 1-0.

Penelope Hocking got the breakaway in the 16th minute and had a one-on-one opportunity with a Wolverine defender. After a quick pass to Natalie Wilson, a shot was taken but it was blocked and the score remained at 1-0 for Penn State.

After a shot by Hocking deflected off a Wolverine in the 21st minute, Penn State earned the first corner of the match. Although Penn State tried to build up for a shot, Michigan’s defense began to solidify to combat the constant offensive threat by the Nittany Lions and shut down any goal-scoring opportunities.

The Wolverines finally took their first shot in the 32nd minute. Kat Asman was right there to receive the shot at the center of the goal and keep Michigan scoreless.

With less than 10 minutes left in the half, Penn State’s offense made the push to score another goal. Shots from Olivia Smith and Payton Linnehan didn’t quite make it, but Michigan’s defense was showing signs of fatigue and struggled to fully clear the ball from the danger zone.

With just two minutes left in the half, the Nittany Lions scored their second goal. Penn State used its speed to rush toward the goal, where Kaitlyn MacBean scored with a chipped ball over the defense. Wheeler took the assist and Penn State ended the half up 2-0.

By the end of the first half, Penn State was outshooting the Wolverines 9-2 and spent most of the game on Michigan’s half. The Nittany Lions went into halftime with two goals under their belt and a confident outlook for the next half.

Michigan began to up its offensive play in the second half, taking a shot in the 50th minute and increased pressure on Nittany Lion defense.

Linnehan made a huge run from midfield toward Michigan’s goal in the 52nd minute where she was one-on-one with goalie Izzy Nino. Nino blocked the ball, but it bounced back into the center where Schlegel was waiting to finish. Schlegel hit the ball into the left of the goal, scored her second goal of the match, and brought Penn State up 3-0.

In the 56th minute, Michigan took the opportunity to move to its offensive half. Wolverine Lily Farkas took out Penn State defender Mieke Schiemann and was given a yellow card for unsporting.

MacBean created some chaos for Michigan’s defense in the 63rd minute and fought the defensive line for possession. She took a shot, but it was deflected off a nearby defender, and after attempting to gain another shot, she was called offsides.

Just after, Michigan substituted Nino for goalie Katherine McElroy, who made several great saves for the Wolverines off some rocket shots made by Linnehan, Olivia Borgen, and Olivia Smith.

Asman had a solid save at the 76th-minute mark after the Nittany Lions gave up the ball to Michigan. Despite the shot from Farkas soaring past Penn State defenders, Asman was ready for the dive and kept the shutout score over the Wolverines.

The Nittany Lions took the 3-0 shutout and prevented the Wolverines from sneaking a goal in their more offensive-minded second half.

Takeaways

• Penelope Hocking, Ally Schlegel, Kaitlyn MacBean, and Kate Wiesner are dangerous. Their chemistry on the field is like magic for the Nittany Lions and caught many Wolverine defenders off guard. The four of them really drove Penn State’s offensive push against Michigan and played a huge role in outshooting the Wolverines 19-8.
• Erica Dambach’s defensive squad was efficient and quickly cleared every Michigan attack. It also showed its ability to adapt to different position and create new opportunities further down the offensive half. Overall, the team had great movement and adjusted well to Michigan’s placement.
• Have a day, Ally Schlegel. She had two goals on the day and reached her 100th career point in the process.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will travel to Lincoln for their matchup against Nebraska at 8 p.m. on Thursday, October 20. The game can be streamed on BTN+.