Penn State women’s soccer (0-0-1) tied with No. 2 Notre Dame (0-0-2) 2-2 in its season opener at Alumni Stadium in South Bend, Indiana, on Sunday.

The Nittany Lions scored twice in one minute and 19 seconds early in the second half, which made them sit back and try to hang on for the win. Notre Dame came back with a penalty midway through the second half and a late goal that handed the Fighting Irish a hard-fought draw. The game almost evolved into a total Penn State collapse, but the Nittany Lions snuck away with a draw after the referee did not award a Fighting Irish penalty in the final minute for an awkward stumble in the box.

Erica Dambach’s 300th win as Penn State head coach will have to wait.

How It Happened

Bella Ayscue rattled off the first shot of the game in the first minute with an awkward volley from just outside of the box. She missed to set up a Notre Dame goal kick. Dikte Bang tried to capitalize off of a Notre Dame giveaway in midfield, but her long-range shot lost steam on its way to the net.

Notre Dame freshman Reese Canada forced Penn State goalkeeper Mackenzie Gress to make a cross-body save on the Fighting Irish’s first true attack.

Paige Kalal took over a loose ball and surfed her way into the box for a shot. The Notre Dame defense snuck up behind her and disrupter her attempt. Fighting Irish goalkeeper Sonoma Kasica recovered the ball calmly before Notre Dame used its first substitution of the match.

Lily Joseph spooked Gress with a cross that wavered on target. It looked like Gress might’ve grazed the ball to push it out of bounds, but Penn State received a goal kick as a result.

Kalal worked her way into the box once more with an aggressive cut coming in from the left side, but her shot was blocked before it could travel towards Kasica. Lily Boyden split two Notre Dame defenders for a cross from the left side, but the Fighting Irish recovered to force a corner. The Nittany Lions failed to control the ball in the box and lost the scoring chance.

Penn State worked its way into a corner kick after Abby Mills headed the ball out of bounds behind the net. Molly Martin narrowly missed with a left-footed shot from just outside the six-yard box. It was Penn State’s best chance of the half and immediately led to the break as the Nittany Lions and Fighting Irish remained scoreless.

Aubrey Kulpa opened the second half with a shot towards Notre Dame’s net, but a deflection forced it to be a corner kick. Kasica soared and snatched the ball out of the air after it came loose in the box. Both teams still searched for the opening goal.

Joseph took Notre Dame’s free kick from an opportune angle, but chose to cross it into the far post than shoot on goal. The Fighting Irish committed a handball and Penn State worked towards the other end of the field, where Kulpa rifled a pass to Kalal across the box. Kalal smashed a one-touch finish into the bottom right of the net as Penn State snatched a 1-0 lead in the 52nd minute.

Just over a minute later, Kulpa cut through the middle of Notre Dame’s defense on a solo run and calmly slotted Penn State’s second goal of the game into the bottom left corner.

Penn State almost piled it on with a Kalal shot after a scramble in the box, but she didn’t put enough fire on it.

Notre Dame started to gain momentum through the middle of the second half, stringing together more shots and challenges deep in the final third. Penn State held strong to retain its lead despite not showing much more attacking threat.

Kalal drew a foul right on the outside of the box after cutting inside for a shot. Emma Johnson and Paige Pasinski loomed over the ball and set it up for Kalal, but her shot was blocked by the Notre Dame wall in the 63rd minute.

Gress committed a foul in the box that gave Notre Dame a penalty after video review. Joseph stepped up for the Fighting Irish and brought Notre Dame within one in the 69th minute. It was Notre Dame’s first goal of the season after it played a scoreless draw against Samford in its opener.

Notre Dame worked its way back into the box, where an awkward kick towards Martin forced the crowd to protest a handball. The referee let play continue into a water break.

Notre Dame equalized with a Joseph goal in the 88th minute. An awkward stumble in the box led to a final video review for a possible Notre Dame penalty, but Penn State caught a break and the game ended 2-2.

Takeaways

• Aubrey Kulpa was the difference maker for Penn State. She set up Paige Kalal’s opening score and capitalized on the momentum with a goal of her own all within two minutes.
• Kalal jumped out as Penn State’s most intriguing newcomer. The senior forward transferred to Happy Valley after three years with Minnesota and immediately got involved with five shots and one goal. She looked dynamic and seems to have chemistry with Kulpa in the attack.
• Despite a slow first half where it couldn’t pierce the veil of the Fighting Irish’s defense, Penn State fired off two goals in one minute and 19 seconds of game time to put the game out of reach early in the second half. The Nittany Lions attacked consistently, but the barrage of goals came very quickly. Nevertheless, Notre Dame inched back to tie it. Will this become a scoring pattern for Penn State as the season progresses, and will it cost the Nittany Lions?

What’s Next?

Penn State will stay on the road to face West Virginia at 7 p.m. on Thursday, August 20, at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. Folks can follow along on ESPN+.