No. 5 Penn State women’s soccer (16-3-4, 6-1-3 Big Ten) had its season ended in a 2-1 loss to No. 7 Clemson (18-3-4, 7-2-1 ACC) in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight Saturday afternoon.

The quarterfinal matchup, the only one that featured the top two seeds, had two determined defensive units playing in an aggressive manner with the hope of keeping their season alive and advancing to the College Cup.

How It Happened

Payton Linnehan, who entered the game with the most goals of any player in the NCAA Tournament, found herself with a scoring opportunity in the first minute of the game, but her shot after entering the box was blocked. 

Both defenses stifled every chance that formed after that early opportunity before another near goal for Linnehan in the 11th minute when she entered the box and received a leading pass, but Clemson goalkeeper Halle Mackiewicz stopped the low shot. 

The Clemson possession following that save resulted in a Megan Bornkamp shot from over 20 yards away and a simple one-hop save by Katherine Asman. 

Linnehan continued her surge for a goal, and her best chance of the first half came in the 18th minute, but Mackiewicz, diving to the bottom left corner, saved the left-footed shot. 

Kaitlyn MacBean got active offensively for the first time in the 28th minute, cutting the ball back while sprinting along the goal line and ripping it on the net, but it was saved again. Linnehan was trailing, but couldn’t find the angle for a hard shot. 

It was ruled that Linnehan’s light shot on the follow tipped the fingers of Mackiewicz, giving Penn State its first corner kick of the game. The corner bounced into the center of the box, where it was received by Mieke Schiemann, but she booted it well over the net.  

Clemson controlled possession for the majority of the first half’s remaining 17 minutes, taking six shots compared to Penn State’s one. The Nittany Lions could barely advance the ball into Clemson territory, until the final minute of the half. 

With four seconds left before halftime, Olivia Damico cut to the net and had a pass put on her foot in stride. However, her attempt went just right of the net, and despite a combined 19 shots, both teams entered their locker room with the game knotted up at 0-0. 

Clemson entered the second half the same way it exited the first, continuing to dominate the time of possession. The Tigers had a near goal in the 54th minute when Renee Lyles put a rocket of a shot on goal, but a diving Asman save kept the game scoreless and, just a few minutes later, Lyles sent another shot on goal, but this time the ball trickled right into the hands of Asman.

The Nittany Lions couldn’t gain from a long possession until in the 67th minute, and a run up the field allowed Rebecca Cooke to take a hard shot. A charging Mackiewicz put her hands up and stuffed the attempt.

After the save, the Tigers regained control and worked the ball slowly up the pitch. Makenna Morris dribbled into the right side of the box and found space to get around the Penn State defense. She looked up and saw an opening.

With Asman standing off center, Morris let the ball go off her right foot and it beat Asman to the back left corner of the net, breaking the tie and giving Clemson a 1-0 lead in the 70th minute.

After letting up a goal, Penn State’s offense seemed rejuvenated. Less than three minutes after Morris’ goal, the Nittany Lions found themselves with an opportunity. The ball bounced around outside of the box before landing directly in front of MacBean.

MacBean took a light touch to control the high bounce before taking a shot from the middle of the field. It was a shot that never left the ground, rolling toward the net. The ball touched the left post and slowly moved past the goal line to even the game at 1-1.

After offensive production ramped up, both teams became aggressive and forced several stoppages for injuries.

Ten minutes went on without a shot from either side, but in the 84th minute, Clemson regained the lead.

Harper White lofted it from near midfield to Caroline Conti in the box, who shot it into the hands of Asman. However, Kate Wiesner, who was marking Conti, couldn’t slow down in time and knocked the ball into the back of the net, putting the Tigers back on top 2-1.

With 47 seconds remaining in the game, MacBean took a shot with her left foot that rolled to the right post, but this time it didn’t go over the goal line. Penn State couldn’t get any more chances, and it fell 2-1, bringing its season to a close.

As Clemson celebrated and hoisted a regional trophy, tears fell from the eyes of the Nittany Lions.

Takeaways 

• Mieke Schiemann was the defense’s anchor in this game for the Nittany Lions. Not only was she incredible at stepping up and forcing the ball off of the feet of Clemson’s attackers, but she was also an effective passer to set up several Penn State chances.  
• Erica Dambach has to be proud of the fight her team played with. This was an aggressive game with both teams running back and forth, and the Nittany Lions never gave up even when facing a deficit.
• Despite the loss, it was a great season for Penn State, finishing with only three losses.

What’s Next? 

The Nittany Lions look ahead to next season after finishing the year with a 16-3-4 record.