No. 23 Penn State women’s soccer (0-1-1) lost to No. 22 West Virginia (2-0-0) 2-1 at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium in Morgantown, West Virginia, for the team’s first loss of the season.

After an opening goal by freshman Anna Babcock, the Nittany Lions struggled to keep possession and couldn’t keep up after falling behind in the second half.

How It Happened

The first shot of the game belonged to West Virginia’s Ava Arnold, but it sailed wide of the net.

Following the goal kick by Mackenzie Gress, Anna Babcock received a pass from Paige Kalal and buried it in the bottom right corner of the Mountaineer net, making it 1-0 just over 10 minutes into the match.

What a STRIKE for the freshman #WeAre | #PSWS pic.twitter.com/3ULVeIQrm3

— Penn State Women’s Soccer (@PennStateWSOC) August 20, 2026

The two teams traded possession and fouls before an offside against Penn State paved the way for West Virginia to get its first shot on goal of the game. Gress made a nice save on Anna Hauer’s shot, keeping the Nittany Lions in front.

Mountaineer goalkeeper Bailey Herfuth made a nice save of her own a couple of minutes later, deflecting a shot by Kalal.

Shortly after both teams made substitutions, Olivia Shertzer drove towards the Penn State box and sniped one bar down from 30 yards out to tie the game at 1-1.

With time running low in the first half, Arnold let off her second shot of the match, but it just missed the target, and the game remained even going into halftime.

West Virginia started the second half on fire, letting loose three shots in the first few minutes. Gress stood strong, saving the only one that made its way on net.

The Nittany Lions still struggled to build momentum, spending almost the entire first 10 minutes of the second half in their defensive half.

The Mountaineers were finally rewarded for their offensive efforts in the 67th minute, with Sophia Nickel scoring a tap-in off a nice cross by Jordyn Wilson to give West Virginia the lead.

With time nearing low, Penn State struggled to maintain possession as it searched for an equalizing goal. Audrey Kulpa was able to get a good look at the net, but her shot was blocked to keep the Mountaineers ahead.

In a last-ditch effort late in the match, Bella Ayscue fired a rocket at the West Virginia net, but it missed the target and the Mountaineers escaped with a 2-1 win at home.

Takeaways

• Anna Babcock and Paige Kalal were bright spots for the Nittany Lions; they combined for three shots with a goal and an assist.
• Penn State didn’t have an answer for Oliva Shertzer. She had three shots, including an incredible goal from 30 yards out to tie the game in the first half.
• Erica Dambach’s team will need to rebound as she searches for her 300th win as Penn State’s head coach. The Nittany Lions have a golden opportunity to reach that goal in the team’s home opener against Bucknell.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will take Jeffrey Field for their home opener against Bucknell on Thursday, August 27. The match is set to start at 7:30 p.m., and it will be streamed on Big Ten Plus.