No. 4-seeded Penn State women’s soccer (15-6-3, 5-4-2 Big Ten) beat No. 8-seeded Vanderbilt (10-4-7, 4-2-4 SEC) 3-1 in the third round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday afternoon in Tallahassee, Florida.

Vanderbilt came out of the gates well and scored first because of it. But after the eighth minute, when the Commodores took the lead, Penn State had more possession and better chances. After two great, but missed, opportunities, freshman Aubrey Kulpa found space and took a brilliant shot to equalize the game at 1-1 with four minutes left in the first half.

In the second half, Penn State’s adjustments again proved to be the difference maker. In the 59th minute, Natalie Wilson rocketed a shot into the top right corner from way downtown to take the lead. Less than 10 minutes later, a penalty was given to the Nittany Lions thanks to a Vanderbilt handball. Rowan Lapi doubled the Penn State lead, and the Nittany Lions never looked back.

How It Happened

Vanderbilt looked the more comfortable side through the first five minutes. Both teams deployed a 3-5-2, which created a lot of space early in the game.

Vanderbilt took advantage of the space in the eighth minute when a great ball in from the wing found Caroline Betts in the 18-yard box. Mackenzie Gress parried the Vanderbilt forward’s first shot, but the rebound fell to Betts again and this time, she gave the Commodores a 1-0 lead.

Following the goal, Penn State started to see more of the ball but didn’t record any shots in the opening 15 minutes.

With 23 minutes left in the first half, Vanderbilt had another opportunity to score. The Commodores found space on the edge of the 18-yard box and fired a shot. Gress was able to get a hold of it, though, to keep the score at 1-0.

Penn State’s first shot came in the 30th through Kaitlyn MacBean. The forward received the ball in the 18-yard box but couldn’t get enough on the shot to beat Sara Wojdelko, the Vanderbilt keeper.

Three minutes later, the Nittany Lions had another chance to equalize off their third corner of the game. Olivia Damico also couldn’t get enough on the shot, though.

In the final minutes of the half, Penn State flipped the pitch. With less than four minutes left, Kulpa went on a perfectly timed run down the right side of the field. Natalie Wilson found her and Kulpa equalized with a brilliant shot to the top right corner.

An unreal finish from 1⃣6⃣

1H | 42:32 | PSU 1, VANDY 1#WeAre pic.twitter.com/lqeuEzGtsk

— Penn State Women’s Soccer (@PennStateWSOC) November 24, 2024

With three minutes and 30 seconds left in the half, the game was knotted up at 1-1. The score did not change in the final minutes.

To start the second half, Vanderbilt won its first corner of the game. The ball was whipped in, but cleared by Damico.

With 37 minutes left in the half, Courtney Jones blocked a shot with her hand. Play moved on, but the referee eventually went to the video board to check on a potential penalty. After a short review, he decided that the Vanderbilt midfielder’s hand was in a natural position and therefore no penalty was given.

Penn State took the 2-1 lead in the 59th minute thanks to another insane shot, this time from Wilson. Her first goal of the season came from nearly 30 yards from goal. The traveling shot beat Wojdelko to the top right corner.

YA CAN'T STOP THAT. NATALIE WILSON WITH A SHOT FROM 20+

1H | 61:45 | PSU 2, VANDY 1#WeAre pic.twitter.com/iUw8fjbpV1

— Penn State Women’s Soccer (@PennStateWSOC) November 25, 2024

Another video review took place in the 66th minute, once again for a handball. The same as last time, the ball clearly hit the hand of the Commodore defender. Unlike the last time, though, this review took a solid amount of time and it was ruled a handball and a Nittany Lion penalty.

Rowan Lapi stepped up for Penn State and slotted the ball home. Wojdelko, who had two saves in a penalty shootout on Friday, guessed the wrong way. Penn State had a 3-1 lead with 24 minutes remaining.

Despite the deficit, as time moved on, Vanderbilt looked tired. The Commodores played 120 minutes and had penalty kicks in their match on Friday against reigning champion Florida State, and it became apparent after the 70th minute. Penn State’s depth also shined as it defended the lead.

Sydney Watts had a huge chance in the 76th for Vanderbilt but despite being wide open, she could not direct her header on target.

Five minutes later, Jones took a shot similar to Wilson’s but Gress got a hand on it and directed it over the bar to keep the Penn State two-goal lead intact.

Penn State handled the Commodores for the final 10 minutes and advanced to the quarterfinals after a 3-1 win.

Takeaways

• Penn State has been one of the last 16 teams in the last eight NCAA Tournaments, the longest streak in the country, and it showed. Head coach Erica Dambach played the game perfectly and the whole team looked comfortable throughout the game, despite the magnitude of it.
• Natalie Wilson played arguably the best game of her Penn State career. The midfielder had a brilliant assist to Kulpa to equalize the game in the first half and an even better game-winning goal in the second. If Wilson stays hot, Penn State’s double-headed dragon of MacBean and Jordan Fusco will have a lot of pressure taken off them.
• Dambach once again proved why she’s one of the most respected coaches in the sport. Following halftime the Nittany Lions took over and took the lead. Well-timed subs worked Vanderbilt into the ground as Penn State advanced to the quarterfinals.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will take on No. 2-seeded UNC in the quarterfinals. The game will take place in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and will be played on Friday, November 29, or Saturday, November 30. The time is still to be determined.