No. 4-seeded Penn State women’s soccer (13-6-3, 5-4-2 Big Ten) dismantled Stony Brook (14-4-3, 7-1-2 CAA) 8-1 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday night at Jeffrey Field.

The Nittany Lions got off to a quick start behind Kaitlyn MacBean’s goal in the opening 10 minutes. Penn State never looked back, scoring goal after goal to absolutely throttle the Seawolves and keep its season alive. Bella Ayscue, Katie Scott, Rebecca Cooke, and Aubrey Kulpa all scored in the win.

How It Happened

MacBean immediately drew a foul on the edge of the box in the first 30 seconds. Mieke Schiemann and Rowan Lapi loomed over the ball, and Schiemann passed it into the box for a rebound shot from Ayscue, but Nicolette Pasquarella scooped it up calmly. Jordan Fusco crossed another ball into the box on the subsequent possession, but Pasquarella collected it again.

Ayscue crossed a ball into the box four minutes in, and a Stony Brook defender knocked it over the bar, giving Penn State its first corner of the night. Lapi whipped the ball in and a Nittany Lions got their head on it, but the ball went wayward for a Seawolves goal kick.

On the ensuing possession, Amelia White threaded a ball to Fusco, but it had just a little too much juice on it. Pasquarella kicked the ball away to the open field.

MacBean and Fusco connected on a one-two pass and MacBean evaded multiple Seawolves to get a shot off, but it was blocked. In the ninth minute, Ayscue sent an inch-perfect ball to MacBean in the box. MacBean completely misdirected Pasquarella and headed the ball into the top left corner of the net, putting the Nittany Lions up 1-0 within 10 minutes.

Beany ball is best in November

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— Penn State Women’s Soccer (@PennStateWSOC) November 16, 2024

After play resumed, Fusco danced down the left side, working her way into the box. She attempted a pass to MacBean in front of the goal, but Pasquarella reeled the ball in to stop the attack.

Stony Brook developed its first true attack in the 13th minute, even firing off a shot on goal. Mackenzie Gress firmly controlled the ball and distributed it back to her defense.

White evaded a Stony Brook defender and found Ayscue on the edge of the box after a Penn State throw-in. Ayscue controlled the pass and cooly slotted it past Pasquarella to propel the Nittany Lions to a 2-0 lead in only 17 minutes of game time.

WAY TO GO ROOK

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— Penn State Women’s Soccer (@PennStateWSOC) November 16, 2024

Kayleigh Herr sent a ball up top to Fusco, who found the edge against the Stony Brook defender. Fusco continued her way into the box but again didn’t connect with MacBean for the shot on goal.

MacBean fought for a ball down the right side, piercing through the edge of the Seawolves’ defense. She managed to whip a ball into the box, but Ayscue couldn’t get a good shot off due to the awkward angle. Stony Brook won a goal kick.

White echoed MacBean’s efforts on the next possession, slicing her way through two defenders at the edge of the box. Ayscue collected the rebound off a Stony Brook shin but couldn’t fire off a shot.

Julia Raich checked into the match and immediately linked up with MacBean in the box. MacBean’s sliding shot was powerfully diverted by Pasquarella, leading to a Penn State corner. Schiemann headed the ball, but it flew off target.

The Seawolves won their first corner of the night in the 26th minute. MacBean tracked back into her own box and kicked the ball away from danger.

Olivia Damico sprinted towards a loose ball down the right side and crossed it into the box. Pasquarella failed to control it, leading to a second-chance shot from Kaelyn Wolfe, which Pasquarella diverted with her shin.

With just over 10 minutes left in the half, Schiemann went down on the midfield line with an apparent injury. The Penn State training staff ran onto the field to check on her. Schiemann stood up and walked off the field under her own power, but left straight to the locker room. Riley Gleason checked in for Schiemann.

Cooke and Wolfe connected on a one-two, creating ample space for a shot opportunity. Wolfe slipped the ball to Cooke, but her shot went off-target to the right of the post, resulting in a Stony Brook goal kick.

Cooke continued to chase the ball down the right side on Penn State’s subsequent possession. She fired off a pass to Raich off of a throw-in, who took a heavy touch but still managed to dink the ball over Pasquarella for the score. The Nittany Lions reached a commanding 3-0 lead with eight minutes left to play in the first half.

Julia Raich with the score on a NICE find from Rebecca Cooke!

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— Penn State Women’s Soccer (@PennStateWSOC) November 16, 2024

Cooke again fought for the ball on the edge of the box. She shot off a promising ball, but a Stony Brook defender denied it. She continued her late first-half breath of dominance with a sprint down the right side, ultimately working her way to the top of the box. However, a Stony Brook defender stuffed the attack once again.

Raich threaded a ball up top to Cooke, who outpaced the entire Stony Brook defense to reach it. She poked the ball behind Pasquarella to score the Nittany Lions’ fourth goal of the night.

Such a SNEAKY finish from Becs, as JR returns the favor from earlier with an assist!

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— Penn State Women’s Soccer (@PennStateWSOC) November 16, 2024

Cooke fired off a left-footed shot with just over a minute left in the half. The ball went just wide of the right post, denying Penn State its fifth goal of the night and Cooke’s second. It was the last attack of the first half as Pasquarella held the ball to drain the clock.

The Nittany Lions started the second half on the front foot again. Scott powered off a shot right at Pasquarella from the top of the box. Pasquarella shoved the ball away. Penn State immediately regained possession and Fusco tested Pasquarella once again. The Stony Brook keeper held it and cleared the ball away from danger.

Scott took advantage of another opportunity four minutes later. Ayscue crossed the ball into the box and Scott scraped it with her head towards the far post. The ball kissed the post and just squeezed past Pasquarella, putting the Nittany Lions up 5-0 early in the second half.

First career startFirst career goal for Scotty

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— Penn State Women’s Soccer (@PennStateWSOC) November 17, 2024

The Seawolves got on the board with a 58th-minute goal. Kristina Garcia whipped the ball into the box and Luciana Setteducate’s header redirected it to the far post, beating Gress to make it a 5-1 contest.

Herr completely whiffed on a pass in the 59th minute, leaving Stony Brook’s Reilly Rich completely isolated with a clear path to the net. Amanda Poorbaugh, however, was standing outside of the box and immediately kicked the ball away from Rich’s reach.

Cooke completely dismantled the Seawolves defense for her second goal of the night. She acrobatically dinked the ball over Pasquarella, kicking it into the top of the net to make the game 6-1 in the 64th minute.

Cheeky little brace for Becs

2H | 67:41 | PSU 6, SBU 1#WeAre pic.twitter.com/40suIULL86

— Penn State Women’s Soccer (@PennStateWSOC) November 17, 2024

Kulpa continued to find space up top to test Pasquarella through the middle of the second half. However, the seventh goal evaded the Nittany Lions.

Damico fought for a loose ball down the right side, sending a grounder into the box in the 79th minute. Elle Kershner cleaned it up and fired off a shot on goal, but a Seawolves defender denied her and carried the ball out of the box.

The Nittany Lions won a free kick in the 83rd minute. Kershner whipped it in, but the ball didn’t connect with anybody in the box.

In the 87th minute, Kulpa and Natalie Wilson connected on a one-two in the box. Kulpa took the ball and slotted it past Pasquarella for Penn State’s seventh goal of the night. On the immediate next possession, Kulpa sprinted up top after Damico sent a long ball to her. Kulpa outpaced the entire Stony Brook defense and slid it home for Penn State’s eighth goal of the night, rounding out the rout.

Takeaways

• Penn State went through Ayscue and Fusco through the first 20 minutes of the match. Ayscue and Fusco’s chemistry down the left side opened up a plethora of opportunities for the Nittany Lions early in the game to set the tone. Ayscue finished with one goal and two assists, while Fusco ended with one assist.
• Cooke absolutely dominated the match. Her presence late in the first half continued the command that Ayscue and Fusco constructed. Cooke ended her night with two goals and one assist, including an early candidate for goal of the tournament.
• Ayscue and Scott scored their first career Penn State goals during the contest. The Nittany Lions’ lesser-known names are stepping up to kickstart the NCAA Tournament campaign.

What’s Next?

Penn State advances to the second round of the NCAA Tournament to face TCU. The match will be played in Tallahassee due to top-seeded Florida State’s win over Samford, but a kickoff time is yet to be determined.