No. 9 Penn State women’s soccer (8-2-1) fell to No. 5 Michigan State (8-0-2) 1-0 on Sunday afternoon.

Michigan State came out strong in the opening minutes, knocking Penn State down. The Nittany Lions stayed in the game throughout the 90 minutes but couldn’t find a breakthrough past the Spartans’ goalie and lost in the top-10 matchup.

How It Happened

Michigan State drew first blood, scoring in the third minute. It completely tore apart Penn State’s defense, weaving in and out despite Penn State being compact in the box, before slotting it into the bottom right corner of the goal past Amanda Poorbaugh.

Penn State won a corner kick in the 6th minute, sending it to Devon Olive who sent it high into the box for Mieke Schiemann whose header was saved for another corner. Amelia White won the ball back after a clearance, sending it for a give-and-go and attempting to slide it past goalkeeper Kaitlyn Parks but was denied.

The Spartans won a corner kick that fell to the penalty spot and they hit it towards the net but Poorbaugh was there to scoop it up and send it downfield for a quick counterattack. The Nittany Lions attack was hit out for a corner kick with Jordan Fusco stepping up to take it.

Fusco’s corner landed just past the Penn State players in the box but Natalie Wilson was there to send it back in another chance. A midfield battle ensued and Penn State came out on top, winning a free kick around Michigan State’s 40-yard line but the goalkeeper denied its attempts.

Penn State had another big chance in the 27th minute with Schiemann dribbling down the middle, passing Spartans defenders with ease but she attempted a through ball instead of shooting and the pass was intercepted.

Kaitlyn MacBean received the ball in the top-left corner of the box in a one-on-one situation with Parks. She shot the ball low but Parks stuck her leg out for a deflection, leading to a Penn State corner.

The chances kept coming for Penn State but they never fully hit the mark. With eight minutes left in the half, Rebecca Cooke jumped in the box to meet a header that went inches wide of the net. Cooke had another wide-open chance with only five to play, opting to wait for the ball to fall instead of volleying, and her shot went wide once more.

The Nittany Lions won its fifth corner with three left. The kick fell to Cooke who wrapped her body around the ball and sent it screaming high towards the net but Parks reached out to hit it over the crossbar. The next corner was cleared by the Spartans who immediately ran downfield to win one of their own.

The first half ended with Penn State trailing 1-0, even with six shots on goal.

Both teams returned to the field with an extra passion, fighting to be the team to come out on top. The Spartans won a corner kick to have the first advantage of the second half, getting off a slew of shots but Penn State’s defense was there to deflect and send the ball out time and time again.

The Nittany Lions won a free kick about 10 yards outside the box that was cleared out for a corner kick. Fusco sent it in the air towards the penalty spot and had two shots deflected before the third went out of bounds.

The Spartans broke into the box and Poorbaugh stepped up with a big save, awarding the Spartans a corner kick in the 63rd minute.

Penn State’s biggest break in the second half came in the 65th as Bella Ayscue and the goalkeeper collided, giving Penn State a free kick around the 25-yard line. Fusco stepped up to take it, clipping it into the box near the far post but Parks had no challenge to grab it.

Despite Penn State’s threatening chances in the first, the Spartans started to overtake the game. Penn State was unable to get any more shots on goal after its last corner kick. Play got more physical with the referees having to turn to VAR on three separate occasions.

In the final ten minutes, Penn State went on a final push to find the equalizer. MacBean ran through the defense, leaving three defenders in the dust but her shot was at a hard angle and Parks once again deflected for Michigan State.

Schiemann had another strong chance for the Nittany Lions, receiving the ball outside the box and settling in for a hit to the top right corner but was denied and Penn State lost possession.

It kept hitting the ball into the box and got off a slew of shots but none were the difference maker to get past Parks. Penn State couldn’t get that last piece to find the equalizer and lost its second game of the season.

Takeaways

• Michigan State’s goalkeeper was the real difference-maker today. Parks recorded 11 saves today, a career-high. If she wasn’t a brick wall in goal today, the Nittany Lions would have found the back of the net.
• Penn State’s offense was working hard today, recording a total of 18 shots for the day, with 11 on goal. Despite the loss, they still looked promising and worked together as an unselfish unit. The Nittany Lions may just need to explore different forms of offense to break apart brick walls such as Parks and the Spartan’s defense.
• MacBean and Schiemann both had big days today on offense, recording four and three shots on goal respectively. These players are often the difference makers for Penn State and their impact is never diminished in games.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will hit the road to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes. The game will take place at 8 p.m. on Thursday, September 26.