Penn State women’s soccer (6-2-4, 4-1-2 Big Ten) beat Oregon (6-5-2, 1-5-1 Big Ten) 1-0 on the road on Thursday night.

Penn State’s offense dominated the game, having most of the possession. Oregon came out strong in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to take the win.

How It Happened

For the first 10 minutes, Penn State had most of the possession. Oregon’s defense did a good job of denying the attempts put up by Penn State.

Penn State got four corner kicks within the time frame to open up the game.

The Nittany Lions got another exciting chance in the 15th minute, but the Ducks cleared the ball out of their box.

Aubrey Kulpa went down in the final seconds of the 15th minute with a potential injury. She stepped out for a quick minute before reentering the game.

Oregon’s Savannah Holley got the first offensive opportunity in the first half. Penn State’s defense stopped Holley’s chance at getting a shot on net.

Logan Russo for the Ducks got the first real shot on net for her team. Mackenzie Gress of Penn State made the save to keep Oregon off the board.

Penn State’s Lily Boyden took a far shot, but Oregon goalkeeper Gray Willson made the catch.

Oregon’s Shiloh Baird went down with just five minutes to play in the first half with a potential ankle injury.

Oregon gained momentum with three minutes remaining in the first 45 minutes, but its attempt at goal was unsuccessful.

It was tied 0-0 as both teams headed into halftime. Penn State had eight corner kicks compared to Oregon’s zero.

Fresh into the second half, Cloe Chase received a beautiful cross and got her head on it. The ball went over the cross bar, leaving the game still scoreless.

The Ducks got another shot on net, but Gress made an easy save to switch the momentum of the second half.

In the 52nd minute, Paige Kalal took a hard shot in the center of the goal, but it soared over the top of the net.

Freshman Paige Pasinski worked hard to dribble past Oregon’s defense in the 58th minute of the game, and it paid off. Pasinski scored, putting Penn State up 1-0.

Both teams changed possession often throughout the second half of the game, which forced each team to transition quickly from offense to defense.

Molly Martin went down in the 75th minute with a potential injury. She returned after a brisk minute.

Kulpa gained an open chance to get the ball in the goal, but missed just wide left due to heavy pressure from the Ducks.

Boyden drew a foul just outside her own 18-yard box, which gave Oregon a nail-biting opportunity. The ball was cleared out, but Oregon gained a corner kick. Penn State kept the Ducks outside of the goal.

Penn State’s bench received a yellow card with just one minute left in the game.

The Nittany Lions still came out on top with a 1-0 win.

Takeaways

• Kayleigh Herr had her 70th career start for Penn State and displayed her leadership throughout the night, making hard tackles.
• Oregon came out of halftime with a fire underneath it. It dominated the start of the second half, making Penn State’s defense put in the work.
• The Nittany Lions’ offense ran their legs off in the matchup. They needed to dig deep to get a goal and worked even harder to keep Oregon from scoring.

What’s Next?

Penn State stays on the road to face Washington at 4 p.m. on Sunday, October 11. Folks can watch at home on Big Ten Plus.