Oct. 8, 2015
| 1st | 2nd | Final | Maryland
| 0 | 0 | 0 | | Penn State | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| |
| Stat Comparison | UMD | PSU | | Shots | 1 | 30 | | Shots on Goal | 0 | 12 | Saves
| 11 | 0 | | Corner Kicks | 2 | 4 | |
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Behind Megan Schafer's (Langhorne, Pa.) sixth goal of the season and Britt Eckerstrom's (Germantown, Md.) fifth shutout of 2015, the Penn State women's soccer team tallied a 1-0 victory over Big Ten opponent Maryland Thursday night at Jeffrey Field.
"I think the forwards set the tone, going in hard on the tackle pressing everything, I thought their work rate was outstanding, and the defense just continues to be really solid," head coach Erica Walsh said. "So I think as far as only letting one shot, that's an absolute team effort. We are confident in Britt, we are able to play a little bit higher which keeps us more compact, and I'm just really proud of the defensive effort tonight."
Penn State improves to 9-2-2 (4-1-1) on the year, while Maryland falls to 5-8-0 (0-5-0).
For the second-straight match the Nittany Lion defense kept their opponent under five shots in the contest as Maryland tallied one shot on the night.
The Nittany Lions opened the night posting three shots in the first 10 minutes of play. Maryland keeper Rachelle Beanlands stepped up for her first save of the match on Elizabeth Ball's (Richmond, Va.) header in the ninth minute.
Penn State tallied another scoring chance in the 14th minute as Frannie Crouse (Greensburg, Pa.) stole the ball outside the Maryland penalty area and passed the ball to Schafer, who recorded an off-balance shot on goal, but Beanlands was there for the save.
Beanlands made five saves during the opening frame of play.
The Nittany Lions and Terrapins went into halftime scoreless. Penn State tallied 14 shots in the first 45 minutes of play, while Maryland was held without a shot attempt.
In the 50th minute, Mallory Weber (Novi, Mich.) intercepted a Terrapin pass outside the Maryland 18-yard box. With the ball, Weber made a move towards the net and fired a shot, but a Maryland defender stepped up for the block. The ball bounced off the Terrapin defender to the feet of Crouse. Crouse then tallied a shot on goal, but Beanlands was there for her seventh save of the night.
Looking for her first goal of her Nittany Lion career, freshman Ellie Jean (Coventry, Conn.) recorded a shot from 19 yards out in the 72nd minute and Beanlands kept the Nittany Lions off the board with her fingertip save.
Less than five minutes later the Nittany Lions found the back of the net.
From outside the penalty area, Maddie Elliston (Omaha, Neb.) placed the ball to the feet of Weber, who was all by herself in the box. Weber, from six yards out, made a move towards goal with Beanlands coming off her line to protect the net. Weber then made a sliding shot attempt on goal and Beanlands was there for the initial save. With the ball loose on the ground, Schafer sprinted towards the ball and blasted a shot into the back of the net for the 1-0 lead.
With the 1-0 lead, the Nittany Lions continued to attack the net down the final stretch of the match.
Under 10 minutes left in regulation, Schafer found herself one-on-one with Beanlands and connected on a shot on goal. Schafer's right-footed shot went past Beanlands, but hit the left post and bounced back into play.
The Terrapins recorded their second corner kick of the match in the 84th minute, but were unable to net home a goal.
For the sixth time this season the Nittany Lions have shut out their opposition.
Overall, Penn State recorded 30 shot attempts on the night with 12 on goal. Beanlands made 11 saves for Maryland, while Eckerstrom did not face a shot attempt on goal.
The Nittany Lions welcome the Indiana Hoosiers to Jeffrey Field on Sunday, Oct. 11, at 1 p.m. Prior to the match, Penn State will honor its 2015 senior class.
