No. 8 Penn State women’s soccer (5-1-0) outlasted Princeton (2-1) 1-0 on Thursday afternoon in New Jersey.

The game started slow as both teams felt each other out in the opening minutes. Eventually, Penn State found some footing, but could not find the back of the net in the first half. The stout Princeton defense held strong and took a 0-0 tie into halftime.

In the second half, the intensity picked up and tensions flared but strong goaltending held the game at zero apiece. That was until Olivia Borgen went on a run and rocketed a ball in the left side netting to give the Nittany Lions the first lead of the game in the 78th minute. Once they took the lead, the Nittany Lions held strong to keep the shutout and the lead through the full 90 minutes.

How It Happened

Kaitlyn MacBean didn’t waste any time getting active against Princeton just missing a one-on-one opportunity with the Tigers goalkeeper less than one minute into the match. This created three straight corners for Penn State, but it couldn’t capitalize. 

The next big chance went to Princeton in the seventh minute. The Tigers found space behind the Penn State back three and forced an Amanda Poorbaugh save. Princeton also had a corner following the save but the ball never made it to a dangerous spot. 

Over the next few minutes, the game was sloppy. Both teams seemed uncomfortable and were quick to clear the ball even if it meant loss of possession. 

The Nittany Lions were the first to settle, though, largely thanks to a commitment of shorter passes from the backline. As the ball made it to the midfield more, Fusco started to take control of the game going on run after run with the ball. 

The next 15 minutes were a chess match as the Nittany Lions tried to break down the disciplined Tiger defense. Despite having the ball for most of that time, Penn State could not break down Princeton. 

Fusco almost found a way through with eight minutes left in the first half from a shot just outside of the 18-yard box, but Princeton’s Tyler McCamey made a huge save, pushing the ball over the net. 

Princeton finally got past the halfway line with two minutes left in the first half, but couldn’t find a way through Penn State. The Nittany Lions went into the break knotted at zero with the Tigers.

The Tigers started the second half playing further up the pitch, which created a more up-and-down game than in the first half. Both teams saw half chances in the first ten minutes but nothing concrete as the game remained tied. 

As the clock read 35 minutes, the Nittany Lions backline was put under a lot of pressure. Penn State held strong, though, and gained back possession. 

In the 55th minute, the first card of the game was shown to one of Princeton’s midfielders for a dangerous tackle on Molly Martin. In the second half, the Tigers played with more intensity than in the first, putting a lot of pressure on Penn State. 

Penn State’s first big chance came in the 65th minute when Fusco took a corner quickly and found Aubrey Kulpa on the edge of the box. However, Kulpa’s shot did not make it through the immense amount of bodies in the box. 

Two minutes later, the Nittany Lions were given a free kick 30 yards from goal when MacBean was brought down. This shot also failed to get through, this time from Fusco. 

The biggest chance of the game came with 25 minutes remaining. The ball was crossed in by Kulpa and found Kaelyn Wolfe on the penalty spot who hit the crossbar. Another chance came 20 seconds later but this time asked a lot more of Wolfe and she miss-hit the ball. 

A few minutes later, Poorbaugh made an insane save. A knuckleball was driven at her and moved to the top right corner at the last second. The Nittany Lion goalie wasn’t phased though, and pushed the ball wide. 

Finally, in the 78th minute, the Nittany Lions found their breakthrough. Borgen picked the ball up in the midfield and ran to the 18-yard box where she ripped one past McCamey to take a 1-0 lead. 

In the final 10 minutes, Princeton applied a lot of pressure and saw most of the ball. The Tigers could not find the equalizer, though, as Penn State put most of its numbers behind the ball. 

The 1-0 victory for the Nittany Lions is its fifth win in the first six games of the season.

Takeaways

• Borgen is back. Finally, in the fifth game of the season, the third-leading scorer for Penn State in 2023 got her first of the season. The depth of the Nittany Lions’ midfield is one of its strengths and they flaunted it in this match.
• This game was a goalie showdown. McCamey and Poorbaugh played out of their minds each recording over five saves which included a few highlight reels. If any other two keepers were in the net tonight this game easily had three goals in it.
• From the start, the intensity of this match was through the roof. A game in September that felt like November. While it wasn’t easy for either team both Princeton and Penn State will have taken a lot from this type of game so early in the season.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will stay on the East Coast to take on No. 23 Georgetown in the nation’s capital at 1 p.m. on Sunday, September 8.