UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - A goal in the 86th minute gave the No. 4 Virginia Cavaliers a 2-1 win over the No. 8 Nittany Lions. Ally Schlegel scored in her sixth consecutive game in the loss.
RECAP
The Cavaliers immediately applied pressure to the Nittany Lion defense, attempting to gain the early advantage. The Cavaliers pace and pressure was furious but the Nittany Lions were able to keep Virginia at bay.
However, this early pressure proved to be worthwhile for the Cavaliers. In the 16th minute of play, Megan McCool took a pass in the box from Rebecca Jarrett. McCool collected the pass and was able to sneak the ball underneath Kat Asman to give Virginia a 1-0 lead.
Asman made a pair of saves in the following minutes to keep the score 1-0 in favor of Virginia. Asman finished the half with four saves as Virginia finished the half with 12 shots.
The Nittany Lions turned the tide in the 21st minute. Sam Coffey played a ball into the box to Frankie Tagliaferri. Tagliaferri played a touch to the Nittany Lions leading scorer Ally Schlegel. Schlegel followed with a shot that was deflected and rebounded to freshman Jordan Canniff. Canniff played a shot on goal but was right at the Virginia goalkeeper.
This turned out to be the only shots the Nittany Lions would register in the first half.
Following their two shot attempts, the Nittany Lions defense dug their feet in and kept the Cavaliers from extending their lead any further.
The second half saw plenty of back and forth action but neither team could register a scoring chance on goal.
Penn State's persistence payed off in the 85th minute. Ally Schlegel drew a foul just outside the box to set up a free kick for the Nittany Lions.
Sam Coffey played a pass that curved perfectly around the Virginia defense. Ally Schlegel beat her defended and redirected the Coffey pass into the back of the net to tie the game at 1-1.
Just 31 seconds later, the Cavaliers scored their second goal of the game to take a 2-1 lead.
The Nittany Lions wouldn't go quietly in the final four minutes of the match. Penn State earned a pair of corner kicks in an attempt to tie the game. The second corner kick was the best opportunity for the Nittany Lions to score.
A swinging ball found Caitlin Haislip as she leaped for a header. Her attempt was just outside of the net.
Virginia held on for the 2-1 win over the Nittany Lions.
NOTES
Penn State played three ranked opponents in the first eight games of the season. This included two teams in the top ten with No. 3 Stanford and No. 4 Virginia. The Nittany Lions also faced No. 23 West Virginia and undefeated Oklahoma State during their non-conference schedule.
Ally Schlegel has now scored in six consecutive games for the Nittany Lions. This is the fourth-longest streak in Penn State women's soccer history. Tiffany Weimer holds the Penn State record with 17 straight games with a goal during the 2005 season.
The Nittany Lions begin Big Ten play on Thursday against Michigan on the Big Ten Network. The Nittany Lions will be looking to win their 20th Big Ten regular season championship.
