No. 9 Penn State women’s soccer (3-1-1, 0-0 Big Ten) came away with a tie on Senior Night at Jeffrey Field against non-conference opponent James Madison (3-2-1, 0-0 Sun Belt) in a back-and-forth affair on Sunday night in Happy Valley. The Nittany Lions led at halftime, but played poorly in the second half, which led to an equalizer. A furious charge at the end of the game was all for naught.

How It Happened

The game began with a flurry of action in the first couple of minutes. About two minutes in, the Nittany Lions got a premium scoring chance in the box, but Julia Raich’s shot was smothered by the JMU goalkeeper Sofia DeCerb. The Dukes came back the other way and got a quality chance at the three-minute mark, but Mackenzie Gress was able to make the save on a shot by Selma Rajakangas.

James Madison got an unsuccessful corner in the 13th minute, Penn State got one of their own in the 18th minute, also unsuccessful. For much of the first half, the Nittany Lions kept the ball on the JMU side, routinely working inside the penalty box but not being able to get a shot off.

Penn State was awarded a free kick in a favorable spot to the left of the goal in the 27th minute and set up a header in front of the net, but play was halted after a brutal mid-air collision between Penn State’s Molly Martin and both DeCerb and Emily Graeca of JMU. All three would depart the match, with Kennedy Ring entering for Martin and Abby Fisher coming in for Graeca. Lili White would take over in net for James Madison.

After another Penn State substitution in the 29th minute, the match slowed down for the next several minutes, with neither side holding the advantage. Penn State’s best opportunity since the opening minutes came in the 37th minute when Amelia White dashed down the right side, but couldn’t complete a centering pass in front of the net.

Both teams made substitutions towards the end of the first half, including the Nittany Lions getting Martin back in the game in the 39th minute after her collision earlier in the match. Penn State was awarded another golden chance with a free kick in the 42nd minute, and this time, it didn’t go to waste. When the whistle sounded, Raich and Cross beautifully set up Bella Ayscue for a go-ahead goal in the 43rd minute. It’s Ayscue’s first goal of the season, Raich’s second assist, and Cross’s first assist.

pretty dang good for a centerback.

1H | 43:54 | PSU 1, JMU 0#WeAre pic.twitter.com/1VbD7QeyUW

— Penn State Women’s Soccer (@PennStateWSOC) August 31, 2025

James Madison controlled the last two minutes of the first half, but never seriously threatened the back of the net, sending Penn State into halftime with a 1-0 lead.

JMU opened the second half by hemming the Nittany Lions in their own end. They were even able to get their first shot on net since the opening minutes, but the shot by Tali Rovner was seen all the way by Gress for a lower difficulty save.

The next ten minutes saw the two teams exchanging possession in the midfield as the game slowed down heavily. Martin continued an aggressive game by being called for a yellow card, the first of the match, in the 57th minute. The Dukes controlled for the next couple of minutes but never got close to the equalizer.

Penn State broke the pressure in the 63rd minute and quickly flipped the field, leading to Rovner picking up JMU’s first yellow card of the match. In the 65th minute, the Nittany Lions attempted a pair of shots, but one was blocked and the other sailed well out of play.

A trend of the early second half was James Madison repeatedly possessing the ball in the Nittany Lions’ half of the field, but being kept out of the box and not being able to get a good shot off. JMU got a shot attempt blocked in the 70th minute that led to their third corner, but they quickly turned it over after getting the ball in.

Kaelyn Wolfe got a good chance up the left side for Penn State but was unable to get a good shot off. Quickly after, JMU was finally able to break through and get their best chance of the night, which they converted to tie the game on an Audrey Orrock equalizer in the 73rd minute.

The Dukes threatened further in the 75th minute, nearly generating a premium scoring chance before their centering pass was smothered. A foul led to a free kick that nearly saw James Madison take the lead, as a perfectly placed ball led to a header by Jamie Swartz that sailed wide of the net.

Penn State saw the dwindling clock and got more aggressive on offense, inching close to a go-ahead goal on a few occasions, only for it to be sniffed out by JMU’s backline. Cross got a shot on goal saved in the 82nd minute. Their best chance at the game-winner came in the 84th minute, where Kaitlyn MacBean got a ball past the goalkeeper, only for it to sail just to the left of the post.

A mad scramble continued in the JMU end, but Penn State was called for offside in the 86th minute. Less than a minute later, Aubrey Kulpa split two defenders and got a chance, but was taken down, and White smothered the shot in a controversial no-call.

Swartz was called for another yellow card on JMU in the 89th minute, and Penn State was awarded a pair of corners in the 90th minute, but James Madison held strong. Gress delivered a great kick towards the net that nearly led to a game-winning header at the death, but a collision with the goalkeeper ruled the play dead to end the game.

Takeaways

• Penn State controlled the first half, constantly pressuring the JMU defense until breaking the ice on a perfectly executed free kick.
• The second half was a different story. James Madison was grilling the Nittany Lions in the open field, catching them out of position in transition and scoring the game-tying goal as a result. They dominated the last ten minutes of the match, but couldn’t pull out the victory.
• Two of the three players involved in the scary collision in the 28th minute returned to the game later on. JMU goalkeeper Sofia DeCerb was the lone player to not return. She didn’t appear to be on the sideline in the second half.

Up Next

Penn State women’s soccer will head on the road, visiting Virginia at Jeffrey Field on Klöckner Stadium in Charlottesville at 6 p.m. on Thursday, September 4. The game will be broadcast on the ACC Network.