No. 16 Penn State women’s soccer (11-3-3, 5-2-2 Big Ten) drew with No. 10 UCLA (12-2-3, 7-0-2 Big Ten) 0-0 on Friday night in Los Angeles.

Neither team settled into the game in the first 20 minutes as there was only one shot through that time. As the first half wore on, UCLA gained its confidence and started to take over the game. Penn State’s defense wasn’t beaten though. The Nittany Lions withstood 20 shots and constant pressure to earn the 0-0 draw.

How It Happened

Penn State came out of the gates looking confident off back-to-back Big Ten wins the week before. 

The Nittany Lions could not turn their confidence into shots in the first 10 minutes, though, and UCLA had the first real chance of the game off a corner in the 12th minute. The set piece was taken short but turned into nothing as Penn State regained possession. 

The subsequent 10 minutes were more of the same. Neither team created a chance or recorded a shot on goal. The main point of attack for both teams was the midfield in the first 20 minutes. 

As the half continued, UCLA grew into the game and started to dominate possession. A couple of close calls from inside the 18-yard box resulted in a few Mackenzie Gress saves in goal for Penn State. The game remained scoreless through the first 30 minutes. 

In the final 15 minutes of the first half, the Bruins displayed their passing ability. A lot of nice moves started in the midfield and made it to the 18-yard box. The Penn State defense held strong, though, and only allowed five shots in the first half despite the constant pressure. 

The game win into the break still knotted at zero. 

To start the second half, Penn State tried to control possession. With that, UCLA also changed its game plan with a much higher press. 

From this, the Bruins had the first two chances of the half, but Gress grabbed the ball out of the air both times. 

In the 55th minute, UCLA broke through the Penn State back line for the first time of the night. The resulting shot went just wide, though, keeping the game at 0-0. 

Ten minutes later, Penn State again stuck in its defensive end for an extended period. The back line held strong again and helped the Nittany Lions break the press and bring the ball up the field. 

Bella Ayscue made a play on the left wing and crossed the ball in. The delivery was almost perfect but it just missed Kaitlyn MacBean’s head. 

With 15 minutes remaining, head coach Erica Dambach made changes to the lineup on the field. Freshman Bella Ayscue was among the substitutions. 

The game opened up in the final 10 minutes. Both sides were more urgent in their attempts to take the lead. 

This led to the best chance of the match in the 81st minute. UCLA’s striker fumbled the ball to eight yards from Gress but could not get the ball past her. 

With seconds on the clock, a UCLA corner found a Bruin head within the six-yard box. The ball was directed to the goal before it was deflected by Gress and then cleared off the goal by Ayscue. The ref went to the VAR to check if the ball had crossed the line but decided it had not. 

With that, the game ended in a 0-0 draw.

Takeaways

• UCLA shut down any attempts Penn State made to get the ball to MacBean. The forward has 13 goals on the season and is Penn State’s most dangerous player. As the season goes on the Nittany Lions will need to get creative to ensure MacBean continues to get enough touches. 
• Penn State’s defense is legit. The back three were shut down the whole night and Gress proved why she was called up to the U-20 U.S. National Team last month with six saves. That was her career high in a game. 
• UCLA has not lost or tied when it scores at least once at home. Penn State’s whole team committed to the defensive game plan and was rewarded with a gritty draw.

What’s Next?

Penn State will remain in California to take on No. 9 USC at 3 p.m. on Sunday, October 20. The match will air on the Big Ten Network.