No. 22 Penn State women’s soccer (12-6-3, 5-4-2 Big Ten) was eliminated by No. 9 UCLA (14-3-3, 8-1-2 Big Ten) in the Big Ten quarterfinals on Monday in Minnesota in a 1-0 game.

Penn State struggled in the first half to beat UCLA’s high press with many of their passes being intercepted. A change to the long ball midway through the half helped relieve some of the pressure, though. Regardless, UCLA took the early lead thanks to a perfectly placed header in the 36th minute.

The second half was more of the same. Penn State struggled early but found its footing once desperation set in. The Nittany Lions saw a lot of the ball in the second half and created some opportunities, but the Bruins held on and took the win.

How It Happened

A back and fourth start saw UCLA win the first corner of the match in the fourth minute. The set piece was taken short as a Bruin tried to take a shot from out of the box but, Rowan Lapi threw herself in the way to make the block.

Penn State’s first shot came seven minutes later from way outside the box from Kaelyn Wolfe, and it was easily saved.

In the 10th minute, Kara Croone was played into space in the box and was slightly touched before she fell. The referee initially pointed to the penalty spot but overturned the call after watching the clip on the replay board.

The following 10 minutes, UCLA took over the game. The Nittany Lions struggled to get the ball out of their defensive half with UCLA pressed high up the field. The biggest chance of this span was from Meg Boade, who just missed a chip shot from outside of the 18-yard box.

Molly Martin received the first card of the game in the 23rd minute after a sweeping tackle to stop a Bruin counterattack.

As the half progressed, the Nittany Lions utilized the long ball more. Often Penn State’s midfielders picked the ball up at the halfway line and played a ball to Aubrey Kulpa or Kaitlyn MacBean down the line. Most times, the UCLA keeper came off her line to pick the ball up.

Penn State’s first corner came with 14 minutes remaining in the first half. Jordan Fusco whipped in a good ball, but the subsequent shot was blocked and cleared.

UCLA took the lead in the 36th minute from a very nice header. The ball came to Nicki Fraser, the Big Ten Freshmen of the Year, who placed the ball off the left post and past Mackenzie Gress to take a 1-0 lead.

UCLA’s one-goal lead remained throughout the rest of the first half.

Early in the second half, Penn State had its best chance to that point, a chip ball from the midfield almost found Elle Kershner on the penalty spot, but UCLA’s keeper barely got to the ball first.

UCLA followed the Nittany Lions’ chance with one of their own, the shot just barely missed and hit the crossbar. The Bruins picked back up their momentum after seeing a way through once again.

In the 60th minute, Quincy McMahon picked up the ball in the midfield for UCLA and went on a slaloming run almost making it 2-0. The forward couldn’t wrap her foot around the ball enough and the shot went just wide.

Three minutes later, Sophia Cook went on a run for the Bruins and almost extended the lead. This time, Gress was called into action and made a beautiful kick save.

With 23 minutes left, Penn State won a dangerous set piece through Jordan Fusco, but the chance was wasted as the shot went right into the hands of the keeper.

As time wore down, the game became a midfield battle as both teams struggled to maintain possession and the ball bounced around the middle of the field. This played to UCLA’s advantage as it already had the lead.

With just seven minutes left, Penn State won a corner. The Nittany Lions took their time to take the set piece. The cross found MacBean’s head but the forward couldn’t get it on goal.

Three minutes later, MacBean made a silky move on the edge of the box and drew a yellow card and a dangerously placed set piece. Meike Schiemann took the shot, but it was deflected wide. The following corner also led to nothing.

In the final minutes, Penn State could not find the equalizer and was eliminated from the Big Ten Tournament.

Takeaways:

• UCLA has one of the stoutest defenses in the country, allowing just seven goals in 23 games this season. Penn State has played 180 minutes of soccer against the Bruins and hasn’t found the back of the net.
• The first time UCLA and Penn State met, the Bruins did a fantastic job leaving MacBean on an island by taking the Nittany Lions wingbacks out of the game. This time around was no different as Kulpa was brought in more than normal for her speed up front.
• The expanded Big Ten has created some issues for the Nittany Lions and the rest of the traditional Big Ten teams. Three out of the four semifinalists are new additions to the conference this season.

What’s Next?

Penn State’s Big Ten Tournament run is over, so they will return to Happy Valley to await the NCAA Tournament selection show on Monday, November 11.