Penn State women’s soccer (7-3-4, 5-2-2 Big Ten) took down Rutgers (4-6-4, 3-5-1 Big Ten) 1-0 at Jeffrey Field on Saturday afternoon.

The Nittany Lions and Scarlet Knights combined for 18 fouls through 90 minutes. An early Paige Kalal penalty pushed Penn State back into the win column despite a late VAR penalty scare in the 89th minute.

How It Happened

Penn State started on the front foot with shots from Ellie Kocher, Bella Ayscue, and Paige Kalal in quick succession within the opening seven minutes.

The two squads were awarded free kicks after the referee called fouls on Kocher and Rutgers’ Marian Dunne, respectively, but the teams kept each other at bay.

Kocher fired a shot to the bottom center of the net in the 16th minute. Rutgers goalkeeper Olivia Bodmer saved it, but the game was sent to a possible penalty review.

The officials granted Penn State a penalty kick. Kalal buried it in the top right corner as the Nittany Lions jumped out to an early 1-0 lead.

The Nittany Lions continued the pressure, forcing two back-to-back corner kicks in the ensuing three minutes.

Rutgers’ Tommi Valente got a shot off following the game’s first round of substitutions. Mackenzie Gress made a comfortable save. Lilia Calvert tested Gress once more, firing a shot into the top right corner, but the Penn State keeper adjusted for the save.

Kalal shot her way into the bottom right corner, but Bodmer denied it. She won Penn State another corner kick near the end of the half, but the Nittany Lions didn’t work their way in to double their advantage. The first half ended 1-0.

Rutgers’ Riley McGlinn recorded the first shot of the second half, sending a ball to the top left. Gress pushed it out of bounds to give the Scarlet Knights a corner kick, but Penn State defended its end.

The Scarlet Knights continued to put pressure in the attacking third through the first 10 minutes of the half until Aubrey Kulpa tested Bodmer with a low-driven shot in the 58th minute. It did not fall in her favor.

Dunne and McGlinn tried their hands once more at cracking Penn State’s goal, but Gress held firm for the Nittany Lions heading into the final 25 minutes.

Back-to-back Penn State fouls gifted Rutgers two free kicks. The Scarlet Knights got the ball in play to win a corner kick, but failed to capitalize on any of those opportunities to get on the board.

Rutgers returned the favor with back-to-back free kicks awarded to Penn State, with the latter resulting in a yellow card for Lilia Calvert. The Nittany Lions did not tack on a second goal as a result of the chances.

Dunne, Ashley Baran, and McGlinn fired off three shots within 40 seconds of each other to try and break Rutgers’ deadlock, but the Nittany Lion defense stepped up to keep the Scarlet Knights off the scoresheet.

That was until the officials initiated a VAR review for a possible Rutgers penalty in the 89th minute. They ultimately did not find anything, and Penn State held on to win 1-0.

Takeaways

• Rutgers outshot Penn State 16-14, but the Nittany Lions got six shots on goal to the Scarlet Knights’ four.
• All that separated the two squads was a Paige Kalal penalty kick in the first half. It was a physical, tense game with little clear opportunity generated from open play.
• Four of Penn State’s last five matches have ended in a 1-0 decision. This is the Nittany Lions’ third win out of that run of games.

What’s Next?

Penn State will travel to face No. 5 Michigan State at 6 p.m. on Thursday, October 22, at DeMartin Stadium. Folks can watch from home on Big Ten Network.