Penn State women’s soccer (8-3-4, 6-2-2 Big Ten) beat No. 5 Michigan State (11-2-3, 6-3 Big Ten) 2-1 in East Lansing, Michigan, on Thursday night.

An Aubrey Kulpa goal early in the second half kept Penn State on top.

How It Happened

The game started out relatively slow, with each team going back and forth with possession.

Each team was able to get a few shots up, but no side gave the opposing goalkeepers any real trouble with the save attempts.

Defender Bella Ayscue got fouled hard by Michigan State midfielder Kayla Briggs in the 24th minute. She was down for a couple of minutes stopping all play, but ended up being fine.

Michigan State, who leads the country in corner kicks, had a great opportunity off a corner in the 28th minute, but Penn State’s defense held its ground and got the ball out of the box.

Ayscue got fouled again in the 31st minute and had to sub out of the game. Kennedy Ring replaced her on the pitch.

The Spartans had a high, aggressive press, making it very difficult for the Nittany Lions to quickly advance the ball. Penn State struggled to get consistent offense and get star forward Aubrey Kulpa touches.

Penn State had a golden opportunity in the 34th minute, crossing the ball into the middle. Michigan State’s defense cleared the ball before any Nittany Lions could get to the ball.

Just a minute later, a similar situation occurred. This time the Kulpa cross was perfect, and forward Paige Kalal was able to send the ball into the bottom left of the goal to give Penn State a 1-0 lead in the 36th minute.

Michigan State had a lot of opportunities during the last five minutes of the first half, but the Penn State defense packed the box and didn’t let anything get to goalie Mackenzie Gress.

Every time the Spartans got close, there was a Nittany Lion defender there to kick or head the ball out of the box.

Not even two minutes into the second half, Kulpa received the ball at midfield, took one touch and spun around her defender before taking the ball on the way into the box and into the back of the net.

While she was shooting, she had her jersey pulled all over the place by Michigan State’s Samantha Maroni. This was Maroni’s first minutes of the game, but the fresh legs did not matter as Penn State went up 2-0.

Michigan State did not take long to answer back. Its leading scorer, Briggs, rocketed the ball into the bottom right of the goal past Gress in the 54th minute. Defender Renee Watson had the assist to cut into Penn State’s lead 2-1.

Kulpa’s goal lit a fire inside of the Spartans. After the goal, Michigan State controlled the possession and had multiple shots on goal to start the half.

The Spartans had five shots in the first 17 minutes of the second half, matching their total from the first half.

Penn State had an opportunity to extend their lead in the 64th. minute, but both Emma Johnson and Molly Martin tried to shoot at the same time, resulting in the ball going backwards.

Ayscue re-entered the game with 19 minutes to go after being out with injury for a majority of the game.

She had a close call late in the half, though, as Michigan State challenged her block on a Spartan cross. They challenged for a handball, but the referees concurred that her arm was in a legal position and the challenge was lost.

There was another VAR review with seven minutes left, but it was another unsuccessful challenge by Michigan State. This one was for a potential push in the box that would lead to a penalty kick.

Michigan State’s offensive control and overwhelming number of corner kicks was not enough to tie the game late, as Penn State holds on for the win.

Takeaways

• Michigan State is the fifth ranked team Penn State has played and the second team ranked in the top five.
• Michigan State had 16 shots compared to only eight by Penn State, but both teams had three shots on goal.
• Penn State has won eight of its last nine games against Michigan State.
• Aubrey Kulpa scored her team-leading seventh goal of the season.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will stay in Michigan, but head over to Ann Arbor to take on the Michigan Wolverines at 1 p.m. on Sunday, October 25. The Wolverines are currently ranked 24th in the country and the game will be broadcasted on Big Ten Plus.