No. 14 Penn State women’s soccer (2-0-1, 0-0 Big Ten) defeated West Virginia 3-1 (1-0-2, 0-0 Big 12) on Sunday afternoon at Jeffrey Field in its annual March to the Match game.

After the match was moved to Noon due to incoming inclement weather, the Nittany Lions took the early lead in the first half on a goal by Hannah Jordan, and they did not allow the Mountaineers to register a shot on target during the first half.

Penn State put the game out of reach as they scored two goals in the span of two minutes in the second half to take a three-goal lead. West Virginia made a goalkeeper switch in hopes of sparking a comeback, and although it scored a goal, it wasn’t enough as Penn State held on to a 3-1 win.

How It Happened

Penn State head coach Erica Dambach rolled out with the same starting 11 and formation of 4-4-2 from the last two matches in hopes of winning a second straight match. The Nittany Lions got off to a quick start as they dominated possession and got their first corner of the game in the first minute. They could not create a dangerous opportunity on this corner as West Virginia cleared away the danger.

The Mountaineers started to settle into this game after the corner, but both teams struggled to create any meaningful chances for the next six minutes as they went back and forth. In the 9th minute, West Virginia had its first opportunity on a shot by Taylor White, but it was blocked by Penn State defender Bella Ayscue.

Two minutes later, West Virginia’s Olivia Shertzer committed a foul on Julia Raich, which gave the Nittany Lions a free kick. Ayscue played a cross into the middle of the box, and West Virginia’s Roxanne Vilain headed the ball toward Anna Hauer to clear it away from danger. However, she couldn’t clear it away, and the ball fell for Hannah Jordan, who hit the ball first time into the back of the net to give Penn State the early lead.

FIRST JEFFREY JUMP OF THE YEAR!! Huge opening tally for 3️⃣4️⃣

1H | 16:23 | PSU 1, WVU 0#WeAre pic.twitter.com/FwozTHdXlx

— Penn State Women’s Soccer (@PennStateWSOC) August 24, 2025

After the goal, the Mountaineers started to play the high press as they looked to tie the game. For the next five minutes, it started to dominate possession of the ball on Penn State’s side of the field, but could not create any dangerous opportunities. The tempo of the game slowed down, but in the 22nd minute, the Nittany Lions had a great opportunity to extend their lead on a shot by Aubrey Kulpa, but it went off-target.

Penn State started to get aggressive offensively, and two minutes later, Kulpa drove the ball down the right flank, which forced West Virginia’s goalkeeper Mackenzie Smith to come off her line. She played a beautiful cross to Amelia White inside the box, but she could not get the shot on target as the ball sailed over the bar of the goal. A minute later, Amelia White continued to make her impact as she had another scoring opportunity, which forced Smith to make her first save of the game.

Both teams went back and forth for the next seven minutes as they struggled to break down each other’s defense. In the 33rd minute, West Virginia got its second corner of the game but could not get a shot on target. The Mountaineers continued to apply pressure on the Nittany Lions as they managed to create two opportunities, but Penn State’s defense stood tall as both shots went off-target.

The tempo significantly slowed down during the final 10 minutes of the first half as both teams struggled to create or find a scoring opportunity, and the Nittany Lions went into halftime holding a 1-0 lead.

The second half got underway, and West Virginia got off to a better start as it created its fourth corner of the game in the first minute. Once again, the Mountaineers could not capitalize on this set piece as Penn State’s defense stood tall. Two minutes later, Amelia White had another opportunity to get her name on the scoresheet as she had a one-on-one against Smith, but was called for offside.

However, seconds later, after being called offside, Penn State recovered the ball on West Virginia’s goal kick. Kulpa headed the ball to Raich, who then passed the ball to a wide-open Amelia White. The Mountaineers did not execute the high line, and Amelia White had another one-on-one against Smith. She got into the middle of the box and managed to get around the goalkeeper on the right side before shooting the ball into the back of the net to give the Nittany Lions a two-goal lead in the 49th minute.

sauced 'em up.

2H | 50:02 | PSU 2, WVU 0#WeAre pic.twitter.com/ed5dy1vIvE

— Penn State Women’s Soccer (@PennStateWSOC) August 24, 2025

The Mountaineers started to get desperate, and seconds after being scored on for the second time today, they had their first shot on target on a shot by Taylor White, which forced Mackenzie Gress to make her first save of the game. However, Penn State’s offensive barrage did not stop there. After West Virginia’s scoring opportunity, the Nittany Lions got a throw-in on the right side of the Mountaineers’ side of the field. The throw-in was played into Kaitlyn MacBean, who then made a turn on her defender before taking a shot that forced a save by Smith. However, she could not hold on to the ball, and Raich was inside the box for the rebound, who scored the third goal for the Nittany Lions.

right place, right time. Julia Raich.

2H | 56:43 | PSU 3, WVU 0#WeAre pic.twitter.com/gyxN6TJnz0

— Penn State Women’s Soccer (@PennStateWSOC) August 24, 2025

Six minutes after being scored on for the third time, West Virginia decided to make a goalkeeper switch and went with Hailey Herfurth in hopes of giving the team a spark. The Mountaineers mounted the pressure for the next eight minutes but could not break down Penn State’s defense. In the 65th minute, Penn State’s defense finally cracked as Maddie Levy played the ball to Taylor White outside the box, who then shot the ball into the top right-hand corner of the goal to give West Virginia its first goal of the game.

It looked like the goalkeeper switch revitalized the Mountaineers as they continued to play the high press. In the 71st minute, West Virginia had a great opportunity to decrease its deficit to one on a header by Alicia Riggins, but Gress made a great save, which gave it its sixth corner of the game. The Mountaineers could not capitalize on the set piece as Hauer’s shot went off-target.

The tempo of the game slowed down for the next seven minutes as neither team managed to create a scoring opportunity. However, West Virginia continued to play aggressively on offense, and it had three great opportunities to make it a one-goal game with ten minutes left in the game, but could not convert on any of these chances.

With six minutes left, MacBean played the ball to a wide-open Kulpa but was called for offside. The Mountaineers continued to play high press in hopes of getting back into this game, but Penn State’s defense did not allow them to score another goal, and the match came to an end with the Nittany Lions winning 3-1.

Takeaways

• Julia Raich made a significant impact in this win today as she scored a goal and added an assist. She played a total of 76 minutes and had her footprints all over this game, especially in the second half.
• West Virginia struggled heavily against Penn State’s defense as it could not get a single shot on target despite having three shots and corners in the first half. It took till the 49th minute for it to register its first shot on target in the game, and it started to play better offensively the moment it went down 3-0, but it was too late for it.
• Despite being outshot by the Mountaineers, the Nittany Lions made sure that they took advantage of their opportunities today. They had six shots, which was eight fewer compared to West Virginia’s 14, and managed to capitalize on 50% of its opportunities. This Penn State offense looks very special this season.

What’s Next?

Penn State will play its third consecutive game at Jeffrey Field against Santa Clara at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 28, as part of its Military Appreciation Night. The game will be streamed on BTN+.